


Animals

by EniciaPop (Enicia24)



Category: B.A.P, VIXX
Genre: Jealousy, M/M, Possessive Behavior, chapter 8 getting spicy~ ;), himchan is also there to move the plot along and is having the time of his life, jongup came for the food and because himchan made him, minor characters there to move plot along, the other members don't like people doing things to their leo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-09 01:58:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 35,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12877761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enicia24/pseuds/EniciaPop
Summary: A small misunderstanding leads the members to telling Taekwoon about a misunderstanding he appears to have been having for years.That he could belong to anyone but them.





	1. The Trigger, Side A: Taekwoon

**Author's Note:**

> who am i  
> what am i doing with my life  
> honestly i don't know anymore  
> this was inspired mostly by one video by an amazing editor on the youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOLxbekRtJg  
> please check it out ya'll  
> mai a starlight is seriously amazing and critical to my continued love of Vixx and especially Leo, another one of their edits also lends inspiration to this fic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ygeEjsq6O8 this one is very funny and really all of their edits made me feel so full of inspiration i had to get this out so here's to you you beautiful video maker you

Taekwoon was going to be the last one home today. 

It had become a comfort now a days, the knowledge that when he arrived home in the late hours of the night it wouldn’t be to a cold and empty dorm.  That at least one of the other members would be awake if he wanted the company.  Wanted the companionship of someone else as he shed what small mask he put on as Leo of Vixx, a mask that only another idol could understand.  After years of becoming closer and more at peace with his life and the people that filled it to the brim and what they wanted to take and give to him, Taekwoon was happy to know that if he so wanted it there would be someone there for him after a long and tiring day.

It had been comforting to know that someone would always be there for him.  That someone would always want him around in some way.

Had been.

Not to say that it was no longer a comfort to be welcomed back to a warm home of warm looks but rather to say that something felt off in the more recent weeks. 

No months.

Perhaps as far back as years if Taekwoon wanted to be honest with himself.  But there was no need to dive that far back and look for clues and shreds to piece together to try and figure out what was going on.  Not when the strange behaviors that the others were displaying were happening often and with less restraint as time passed.

For now Taekwoon enjoyed the cold press of glass against his head as he leaned against the cars window.  It was well past midnight, not that that truly meant anything anymore, and the outside world slid past as dark shapes and blurred lights through his nearly shut eyes.  The soft murmur of the radio and hum of the air conditioner had done an excellent job of lulling him into almost sleep.  The last few hours had done wonders in making him relaxed even though they had been filled with people coming and going around him and being in his space as he composed.

There had been an unnamable tension in his body all day.  It had started as a trickle of something, like a thought that he had waking up but slipped away before his conscious mind could grasp it, and grown to a slight heaviness upon his shoulders.

As though some thing was weighing on his mind.

Not enough to disrupt his routine or cause a meaningful distraction while working, but enough to give a few pauses throughout his day and unconsciously roll his shoulders. 

Taekwoon knew exactly what had been weighing on him.

Had known it from the moment he exited his room that morning, shuffling towards the box of cereal with his name literally written on it and the large cup that he only used for his morning coffee, and heard the stifled gasp of Hakyeon and loud dramatic gasp of Jaehwan which only served to draw the attention of the other three fixtures of his life to whatever it was they were surprised over.  He hadn’t cared, because it was too early in the morning for whatever dramatics there was in the making, at least until turning around with a blessedly full cup of caffeine and was met with the outright stares of his band members. 

Dark and sparking with some kind of emotion his brain couldn’t process this close to waking up.  Taekwoon felt as though something was settling around his chest and shifted to cradle his hands to his torso.  Five pairs of eyes followed the movement as one and under the weight of those stares Taekwoon’s hind brain kicked in with the instinct to flee.  His head ducked down in a similar motion to his usual embarrassed response of receiving too much attention on camera, Taekwoon put his long legs to use and left the kitchen as quickly as possible and didn’t stop until his door was firmly shut and everything else was on the other side of it and didn’t leave until the message of their ride being on its way came and quietly left the dorm to wait. 

The stares had followed him the entire day he was with the others.  Someone’s eyes were always  on him, from the shallow reproduction of their morning commute conversations with Taekwoon taking the front seat to a muted stretching session and less playful dance practice than usual.  Going to the gym had not offered any reprieve as both Sanghyuk and Wonshik arrived within half an hour and slowly closed in on Taekwoon as he tried to get through his work out.  Lunch had started fine, though that might have been due to only Hongbin sitting with him at first offering a wide grin and no push for conversation that honestly made Taekwoon sure he was his favorite dongsaeng, but didn’t last as the others came to disrupt the quiet peace with their brand of rowdiness.

Taekwoon had grown to associate a new kind of peace with the whirlwind his band mates brought with them and at times it was unbearably comforting to have them around him.  After the morning of strangeness that throw back to normal was such a relief he found himself adding to the conversation and smiling at the jabs being thrown across the table while casually stealing the food closest to him from Wonshik’s plate.

Of course not all such things could last and it wasn’t long before a shadow passed over the table.

Not even a metaphorical shadow, but one that belonged to a new producer, Kyungoo, that had taken a liking to Taekwoon and was ensuring that he would be available that evening to play with a few pieces they had been working on for the past month when given time.  Taekwoon gave a quick nod of his head and smile in affirmation as he felt a hand he hadn’t previously noticed tighten on his thigh. 

“Great, well I’ve got to find Lee, so I’ll see you tonight.”  Taekwoon nodded again as his eyes looked into his lap and followed the path from hand to arm to shoulder to the face of Hongbin who was staring at him with an intensity that made his stomach curl and shoulders hunch.

“Wait,” Taekwoon stood as fast as he could, dislodging Hongbin’s hand and pulling the others’ gaze to him in the process. “I’ll go with you.”

At Kyungoo’s questioning look he softly explained while packing his trash back onto his lunch tray that Lee spent most of his lunches with one of the cordi noonas and he had a standing appointment with them anyway so they may as well walk together.  

“Well lucky for me it seems, I get to spend even more time picking your brain than I thought I would get today.”  Kyungoo remarked with a wide grin and placed a hand on his back to start leading him away.  Taekwoon gave soft noise of agreement and did his best to ignore the hot oppressive aura that was almost burning into his back.

“We’ll see you at home, hyung.”  Sanghyuk called after them.

It had sounded like a promise.

Blessedly Kyungoo didn’t ask what was going on that moment, though he did ask later into the night once Taekwoon was lax in an office chair listening to the newest edit of their work and all he could offer in return was a shrug and quiet _I don’t know_ to which Kyungoo had replied that he was sure they would let him know, and he safely delivered Taekwoon to the hands of his stylist.  Who had her own thoughts about the thin sharp line of tension that ran throughout his body as she started the process of altering a new performance outfit. 

Though she was sure it probably had to do with pain or soreness from the bruising along his back, left side, and neck.  There had been a minor mishap the night before with a few clothing racks and a light stand during the first attempt at the alterations they were doing now that left Taekwoon with some lines and spots of bruises and left Mina fluttering around him apologizing and wincing in sympathy as he had prevented her from being the one hit by multiple pieces of toppling metal. 

“Taekwoonie, I’ve got some cream for those bruises.” Mina announced as Taekwoon was changing back into his own clothing, they had both come to the conclusion that with how tightly wound he was there was no way any changes made would be comfortable enough to dance in.  “I really am so sorry about yesterday.  Lee is too.”

“I know.  He apologized a lot.  Just like you noona.”  She placed a hand lightly on his wrist to stop him from pulling his shirt on.

“It would be better to get this on as soon as possible, and easier if someone else does it.”  He nodded in acceptance and let his arms fall to his sides.  “These really are dark Taekwoonie.  I hope it’s not too painful.”

He shook his head, eyes closed and shoulders starting to droop at the soft brush of hands along his aching body, and murmured a reassurance that he really was fine.

“I know, I know, you’re fine.  It’s just that you’re so fair any bruising on you stands out so easily.”  She said into his ear, now massaging the cream into his neck and shoulder blades.  “Well that should be enough for now, take this home and reapply it in the morning ok?  Ask one of the others for help if you need it.”

Taekwoon again nodded, though he was sure asking one of his band mates would absolutely not be a thing that would happen after the way things were this morning, and pulled his shirt on.  He left the fitting rooms and studiously avoided the other members of Vixx as best he could the rest of the day, slowly relaxing into an unanxious state of mind.  

He would have stayed overnight in the studio if not for Kyungoo pushing him into a car and telling him that rest was important and how he wasn’t going to deal with the fall out his manager if Taekwoon didn’t make it home that night.

Which all led back to where Taekwoon had started reminiscing his day.  In the back of a car leaning against a window and falling asleep as he was being driven towards a promise that rang in the back of his mind all afternoon and evening. 

_We’ll see you at home, hyung._


	2. The Trigger, Side B: Introspections on Leo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a look into how the Vixx members feel about their Taekwoon

It’s not that Hakyeon minds that Taekwoon had marks peeking out from beneath his black sleep shirt but rather as Hyuk had stated once their quietest member had fled, “None of us put those there, which means someone else DID” and that was simply unacceptable. 

Training Taekwoon to accept even the most casual of skinship had been a monumental undertaking that Hakyeon had been at the forefront of for the years that made up their relationship.

And training was exactly what it was.

Minuscule and quick touches, light enough to perhaps leave the question of there even having been contact, mixed in with blunt words and firm grips to keep the other in place.  Leaning against him with just a few centimeters of contact and pulling the younger to him as though it was his right. 

Which it was. 

(Cha Hakyeon was someone Jung Taekwoon couldn’t live without; they were lifelong friends in the words of the Taekwoon himself.)

It was a delicate balance that he had perfected over the years, hiding the small with the big to make Taekwoon appreciate the subtle shows affection even more in contrast to how exuberant he knew Hakyeon could be.  Of course he still went for the declarations of how cute Taekwoon was and how much he loved him. 

But that was who Hakyeon was.  To him there was no point in hiding feelings for someone, especially when they ran as deep as his did for the younger. 

And there had been enough times over the years when Taekwoon had been the one to initiate shows of affection.  Plenty of soft spoken words in the privacy of a practice room or said into the air between them on a late night in the living room when neither could sleep where Taekwoon would say that he was glad that Hakyeon had come up to him all those years ago and talked about stretching and hadn’t stopped talking to him ever since because there is no universe that he can imagine without Hakyeon being there for him. 

(This sentiment had of course extended to the other members of the group, because how could it not, they were a family now and Hakyeon knew that Taekwoon loved the others too.  But damn if it wasn’t amazing to have him say it to him first, and he knew it had been him first because they had talked about this.  Of course they had.  It was an agreement between the five of them; there would be no secrets when it came to Taekwoon.)

There had even been times when he had shared a similar sentiment with interviewers or on a vlive, and they sent Hakyeon’s heart soaring because it was vindication of the hard work he put into this relationship.

Not to say that it was burden.

To Hakyeon showing your love for someone was never a burden.  But he would freely admit it was work to get Taekwoon to open up to the level he had.  Each step along the way, every contained smile from the beginning to the open laughter and childlike play he would now engage in with them, was a moment to be cherished and locked up in his heart and in the gallery of his mind as the proof of just how right this was.

How right his feelings were.

“Those could be anything.”  Wonshik spoke up after Sanghyuk’s declaration sent most the members into quiet contemplation.  “I know we all immediately thought they were hickies, but they could be anything.”

“Right, of course, anything really.”  Jaehwan was quick to agree.

“Hickies or not, there’s bruising on our Taekwoonie.  And he was in a rush to get out of here when he realized what we were staring at.”  Hakyeon said with a small frown.

“We were all staring at him.”  Hongbin said spooning some cereal into his mouth.  “We all know how he gets with too much personal attention, especially the staring.”

“But it’s us staring at him.” Hakyeon whined in return. “And we still haven’t addressed the bruises.”

“Hyung got in pretty late last night didn’t he?”  Sanghyuk asked from near the fridge.  “Do we know who he was with?”

Everyone tried to recall if they knew what their quietest member had been doing the night before. 

“He was still in fitting when I left last night.  I think he said something about working on some songs before heading home.”  Hongbin said.

-

Jaehwan had never considered being possessive as one of his personality characteristics.  But it seemed to make a special show in him when in regards to Taekwoon. 

It made a special show in all of them when things regarded to Taekwoon.

Jaehwan didn’t have the instant connection to Taekwoon, or attraction rather, nor some grand plan that took years to come to fruition in the eyes of others.  That was really more Hakyeon’s deal and frankly Jaehwan hadn’t cared much at the beginning to try and put such a plan into action.  He didn’t have the kind of feelings regarding Taekwoon to even think of needing a plan to gain his affection, heck he didn’t really have any feelings regarding him at all.

Besides Jaehwan was naturally cute.  And when it came time for Ken?

Ken had the extra boost of stylist to enhance that natural cuteness.  Ken didn’t need a plan to gain someone’s affection and neither did Jaehwan.

To be honest, in the beginning he hadn’t really understood Hakyeon’s fascination with Taekwoon…

Okay that was a lie.

Taekwoon was pretty and looked cool and had broad shoulders, even then, and combining that with a cattish and cool face that belied his airy and soft voice, the visual interest was understandable.  The personality interest was questionable though.  He didn’t speak much to them, to anyone, and spent most of his time seemingly ignoring their presence unless there was food involved.

One wouldn’t guess that Jung Taekwoon had a voice that built in power and volume and that seemed effortlessly high and breathtaking.

Jaehwan certainly hadn’t guess back when they were trainees that the tall stony-faced man would be one of the main vocalists or that he’d be a very good vocalist at all.  But the first time one of the vocal coaches paired them for exercises and training; which Jaehwan thought was a mistake, he was loud and bright and still had trouble not overwhelming the people he worked with, it wouldn’t be good if his new hyung’s first experience singing with him included being drowned out; Taekwoon matched him pitch for pitch, note for note, and as they rose higher Jaehwan realized-

They sounded good together.

So Jaehwan took an interest in the older boy, at a friendly stand point of course.  Taekwoon’s voice complimented his own quite well and Jaehwan liked knowing what made him look good and how to use it. 

Not that he was going to use Taekwoon; really being friends with the other boy was a nice feeling.

Which was not a distinction he thought he would ever have to rushingly make, but the indignant squawk from Hakyeon’s mouth and the accusatory squint of his eyes as he had ambushed Jaehwan to ask ‘What are your intentions towards my Taekwoonie?’ made it a distinction he absolutely explained.  Then he paused as Hakyeon’s proverbial hackles lowered and he really took in how Hakyeon had framed his demand.  His mouth opened in a sly grin and his eyebrows raised.

“Your Taekwoonie?”

The no doubt scathing reply Hakyeon had for him, because even back then he was a shady bitch, was cut off when the door to the practice room opened.

“Hyung, it’s time to get dinner.”  That last few words trailed off, as Taekwoon took in the slightly compromising position Hakyeon had put them into when he had come to confront Jaehwan, that was to say that the older had aggressively boxed him in against one of the mirrored walls and was just now leaning away from him in surprise at the intrusion.  An attractive pink flush took over Taekwoon’s cheeks and began a faded trek down his neck as his eyes widened and he stood frozen with one hand on the door.

A moment of silence.

Hakyeon turned fully towards Taekwoon who then gave a short bow and a soft ‘sorry for interrupting’ and quickly left the room closing the door behind him.  Hakyeon let out a small wail and rushed to the door, throwing it open and took off after him all while yelling, “You’ve got the wrong idea Woonie, it’s not what it looks like!”

Which had left Jaehwan alone to laugh until he couldn’t breathe and was slumped on the floor.  Gasping to catch his breath he looked towards the open door and immediately burst into a giggling fit at the way that Hakyeon had chased after ‘his Taekwoonie’. 

Finally getting a hold of himself, Jaehwan hummed to the silent room. 

His Taekwoonie.

Hakeyon’s Taekwoonie.

Jaehwan sat back against the mirrored wall and met his gaze across the room.  He thought of that flush spreading across pale skin, the way Taekwoon had hunched minutely out of embarrassment and how he quietly left the room no questions asked.

“My Taekwoon.” 

His reflection smirked back.  Yeah he liked the sound of that.

Of course back then all the trainees had known that Taekwoon was Hakyeon’s, maybe not to what extent Hakyeon wanted Taekwoon to be his, but everyone knew (which was probably a factor in Jaehwan’s then increased interest in the vocalist). 

In much the same way everyone now-a-days knew that Taekwoon **belonged** to Vixx, all of them belonged to each other but it was a certain look people could see in the members’ eyes when it came to their quiet main vocalist, which made the way that producer fellow casually slung his arm around Taekwoon and talked as if they were close friends rankle at Jaehwan. 

He knew the others weren’t happy either and if the way their wayward member tensed as Sanghyuk called out after him, Taekwoon knew they weren’t happy about something.

Over all these years it still baffled Jaehwan how everyone could see that Taekwoon was theirs, except Taekwoon himself.  It was almost like he had blinders on when it came to the hold he had on them.  At times he thought it was hilarious, especially the early days when it was mostly Hakyeon almost defending his position with Taekwoon like he was defending his territory.

“I really don’t like that guy.”  Hongbin said with an actor’s smile in the direction they two had left in.

“It’s like he doesn’t even know.”  Wonshik said squinting his eyes and pushing a piece of meat into his mouth.

“Which one?”  Sanghyuk asked with a semi amused huff.

“Either one.  Both.  Take your pick.”  Jaehwan replied tapping his fingers on the table.

“Wait, they were together last night?”  Hakyeon spoke up.

-

After a not so productive end of lunch Wonshik took the long way to his studio.  That is to say he took the way to his studio, which would take him past where ever Taekwoon was. 

Often times if the older had no immediate plans or places to be he would join the rapper. 

The invitations to come with him had started as a way for the two to get a better feel for how the other’s process in regards to writing and composing went, and to spend time together, back before the talks of a subunit of the two were finalized.  Sure they had had years to know the other’s work ethic, but it was different when they would be working on a project only for the two of them.

It was different when they wound up spending hours upon hours recording and writing, only the two of them and whatever personnel was sent to make sure they were still alive.  Actual weeks where the most meaningful contact either of them had was hunched around a paper or computer, breathing each other in, and dissecting lines and notes to make the best possible product.  Days where they couldn’t tell their selves let alone each other what the date even was or whether it was still day time. 

It was different when they came out the other side closer than Wonshik really thought he would be able to get to Taekwoon, and as firmly in love with the older as any of the other members had been, but that’s what happened when your world became one person.

Which is what happened. 

Taekwoon became Wonshik’s world in those months of production and promotion. 

Which was a very unhealthy frame of mind to be in; which Hongbin had been kind enough to point out, one night after promotions ended and he was actually sleeping at the dorms on a regular basis again, as though Wonshik didn’t know that.  But it was hard to disassociate his self at times from the character he had created and brought to life for the music video and stage for Beautiful Liar.

Someone who was intrinsically connected to another person and in some ways felt a bit of owner ship over the other.  Again very unhealthy, he knew and had cursed at his method acting.  It had faded as the two were brought back to the reality of having more than just one other person to work with, but some of the feelings lingered.

(Chained Up had been a bit of **problem** he would freely admit when faced with the glares of the others.)

Not being near Taekwoon every second of the day left him off balance for a time, and if he found himself moving from the center of their standard line up to be closer to the outskirts then so be it, seriously Hongbin stop smirking about it.  There was an easy camaraderie about their interactions now that even the fans picked up on, and wow Wontaek was an interesting ship name, in that Wonshik actually was allowed to touch Taekwoon pretty much whenever he wanted and Taekwoon began talking to him even when he didn’t need to in public.

Suffice to say Wonshik was probably one of the best at knowing where Taekwoon was, aside from Hongbin who would forever know where his pranking partner was.

So he was quite sure that Taekwoon was still with whatever stylist he had left in the middle of their group lunch to go see.

Wonshik unclenched his fists at the thought of how he had left said group lunch and forced his shoulders to relax.  A few deep breaths and the very visceral desire to show the other man why people shouldn’t touch others’ things fell to the side.  Another deep breath and Wonshik mentally apologized to Taekwoon for basically thinking of him as a possession.  Another deep breath an-

And it was caught in his throat.

He had made it to fittings.

It was pretty much deserted, the stylists mostly going to lunch after the usual rush time, and through a door he could hear the soft murmur of a woman speaking.

Saying things like ‘sorry’, ‘didn’t mean to’, and ‘you bruise so easily’.

From his frozen position he could see it was one of the noonas who had been with the company for years, just as long as any member of Vixx had been in training probably, and she was speaking softly to a tall broad shouldered man whom she was rubbing the back of. 

A mirror behind them allows Wonshik to see peaks of bruises as the woman moved around the man.

The man’s head was tilted towards the floor and afforded Wonshik a very familiar view of the top of his head.

Taekwoon let out an almost pleasured sounding sigh and Wonshik swiftly turned around to leave the fitting area to find the others.

Hakyeon had been right that morning, this was simply unacceptable.

-

Hongbin himself appreciated quiet.  He liked the time to be able to think things through and relax without the pressure of someone who wanted words from him. 

When they had first debuted it was difficult for Hongbin, because they had yet to establish their characters with the media and everyone had to be active in interviews.  They each had to speak to promote their self and the group.  It was genuinely uncomfortable for him.

Hongbin didn’t take to talking about himself like Jaehwan, or to the MCing roles like Wonshik and Hakyeon did, he wasn’t as outspoken as Sanghyuk who he knew was still trying to figure his place out. 

He felt like he was on an island of awkward at times, with no boat in site.

But at least he wasn’t alone.

Taekwoon didn’t break from him silence often; not for interviews, not for management, not for the members, which left some quite elongated pauses before people realized he wasn’t going to speak and moved on or another member jumped in to fill the silence.  He was generally skittish about touch, let alone actual skinship, and the only time he didn’t seem to mind being the center of attention was while performing. 

To put it simply, Taekwoon was one awkward hyung.

But he was an awkward hyung who cared.  Because at some point during the countless interviews they had after debuting, which really Hongbin tried to remind himself to be thankful for the fact they were even getting attention, Taekwoon had taken to standing or sitting near Hongbin and just saying nothing.  He would glare at the others if they got too loud and had even stretched out at times to block someone if they looked like they were going to bother Hongbin’s peace.  And it was peaceful, Hongbin realized.  Taekwoon didn’t try to engage him in pointless chatter or make him practice interview questions or even ask him if he was ‘fine’. 

Taekwoon was just there.

Often with earbuds in and head titled back.  Sometimes staring at nothing and sometimes definitely napping. 

In those moments nobody directly expected anything of Hongbin.  He got to just be, got to try and relax in the moment and get himself ready to appear on camera.  He and Taekwoon shared that they weren’t as naturally extroverted as some of the other members of Vixx, but they still loved performing.  It was an understanding that they each needed quiet time to build their selves up for the ceaselessly invasive questions, such as was the life on an idol.

Hongbin was grateful for the quiet moments they shared.

He wanted more.

So he began seeking the other out; looking for opportunities to hang out, grabbing the seat near him when possible (which earned quite a few LOOKS from Hakyeon and a few _looks_ from Jaehwan), really just taking the initiative to spend time together.  Because that’s what one did when it came to spending time with Jung Taekwoon. 

You had to go after him and be the one to initiate contact of any kind. 

Not that Hongbin minded. 

It was even fun at times.

(As he got older and they all got closer and people really started calling him a visual, and Taekwoon opened up to them more, Hongbin realized that that enjoyment could be attributed to the so called thrill of the chase.)

It was one such time that Hongbin had sought the elder out, when they both had early morning schedules that left the evening free and clear, and they were sitting together watching tv in the dorm’s living room that Taekwoon posed a question that would come to define a major part of their friendship.

“What do you think would happen if Hakyeon’s and Jaehwan’s cosmetics got mixed up?”  He asked, eyes never leaving the tv and voice steady.

“Well, that would probably depend on exactly how much and which items got mixed up at any given time.”  Hongbin also didn’t take his eyes off the tv, but there was a smile to his voice.

They sat for a few more minutes in silence as the drama played on.

When commercials began, Taekwoon stood up and began walking towards his and Hakyeon’s room.

“Grab Jaehwan’s lip balm and moisturizer, I’ll get Yeonie’s.”

They met in the hallway to exchange item’s, Hongbin studiously ignored the small flip of his stomach at the site of Taekwoon’s wide grin when he saw that Hongbin had been sure to grab the lip balm still in its package (to assure maximum fall out when the item was discovered to be missing), and Hongbin thought to himself that this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Even now that both had come out of their shells as idols, Hongbin more so than Taekwoon until the last year or so, Hongbin still enjoyed the quiet moments they would share.  He did his best to return the favor of never being pressured into talking and essentially giving Taekwoon all the time and space he needed.  Taekwoon had in return given him many brilliant smiles over the years and told him in whispers that Hongbin was his favorite, sometimes he even said so to the room at large and was always met with the same indignant noises from Hakyeon and Jaehwan, so he hadn’t thought much of it when Taekwoon turned down his offer to wait till his fitting was done so they could go home together.

But as per the bruises they had seen that morning and the way someone who was not one of them had so effortlessly cozied up to Taekwoon, and he _let_ him, all the while talking about seeing him _again_ that night Hongbin realized perhaps it was time he didn’t give Taekwoon time and space. 

When Wonshik told them of the small scene he had observed passing through the fitting area, Hongbin expanded that realization to include the others.

Perhaps it was time that Taekwoon knew exactly how little time and space the other five members wanted to give him.

-

If asked, Sanghyuk could easily say that out of all the hyungs Taekwoon was his favorite to tease.  Sure it was best when they all ganged up on one member to make fun of, but if it was just one hyung alone the answer was definitely Taekwoon.

Hakyeon was too touchy and if given the chance would just turn any attempts at physical teasing into an opportunity to latch onto whoever it was trying to annoy him, or he just got bitchy and that was never very good for any of them.  Jaehwan was loud, and he teased back, but mostly he was loud and turned it into an opportunity to just complain and yell at him.  Wonshik could be fun, especially if there were bugs involved, but it was pretty difficult to get him very flustered anymore.  Hongbin was…

Devious, too devious to tease anymore.

Taekwoon though?

Taekwoon was perfect.

He shied away from touch, admittedly not as much as he used to, and it was so easy to see how uncomfortable or embarrassed he was.  He no longer lashed out as harshly as he used to, now settled into casual slaps with little actual power behind them. 

These days Taekwoon was more likely to whine and yell, and yes fight back but more in the spirit of the thing, a token effort, rather than a genuine means of stopping any teasing. 

Sometimes he still needed to be approached like a wild animal in need of gentling.

Sometimes he simply didn’t react at first, too engrossed in music or too tired to do more than softly whine in annoyance at whatever antics the group would be getting up to, but he always gave in at some point and would give Hyuk a satisfying reaction.

It seemed the older his hyung got, the longer they as a group had been together, the more childish Taekwoon acted with them. 

Wanting attention on his terms, pulling the famous “I’m not touching you” sibling brand of annoyance, actually poking the others to either get their attention or purely for the act of bothering them; then the looks of disbelief when they retaliated and the soft ‘ah’s that steadily rose in pitch if someone physically stopped him.

Honestly he was adorable.

Hyuk thought Taekwoon would have made a great maknae.  He was easily moved around and could be motivated into following orders by any of the members.  And really in his own ways Taekwoon was eager to please and be recognized for his work.  He was at times the least mature out of all of them; all in all Taekwoon was perfect maknae material.

Sharing that thought with the others, at one of the meals where the object of their mutual affection was absent, earned him a few confused stares and an accepting nod from Hakyeon, who merely shrugged and said “I nearly had a heart attack the first time he whined ‘hyung’ at me.”

By that point they had all heard the way Taekwoon would elongate the y and u in his whine.  Had seen how his eyes would squint shut and mouth would pull into a slight frown. 

It was certainly an attractive prospect.

Of course Sanghyuk already had something similar when Taekwoon would whine his name if he was causing the elder a mild annoyance, that was part of the drive to cause said annoyance.  And he loved it, really he did.  Hyuk wouldn’t give up the part of his heart that Taekwoon’s soft cries and silly antics held for the world.

Sanghyuk had been right with his Le-Shin-Set declaration, of course, once people felt something for Leo it was all over and they fell for Leo.

People loved him. 

And that was the problem right now, as Sanghyuk saw it.

People loved their Taekwoon.

Too much.

Hyuk felt they had been far too lenient when it came to Taekwoon acknowledging their feelings, no matter how the hyungs said that these things had to be taken slowly. 

Hyuk had been told to have patience. 

But he could see that the past day’s events were the breaking point even for the most patient of the others. 

Taekwoon wasn’t going to know what hit him when he got home to them that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took me a while to actually get out, but i had a few of the sections already hand written during times i was on break at work and it was just getting them typed up that help me back, that and mother freakin Wonshik wouldn't let me get into his head space to write him for god or gold  
> i've got a start on the next chapter going but it might be awhile i've got a few other projects i want to make some head way on  
> if you want come yell at me on tumblr: meetmeinthepit-fightme


	3. Teaser: Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we are back to taekwoon's pov, it's a little short and not quite the drama we're all craving  
> but hey that's what the next chapter is for

The ride had been peaceful enough that Taekwoon barely stirred when the car came to a stop and turned off.  It took the manger that had driven him a few soft calls of his name to shake him from his light doze and realize where they were. 

Taekwoon gave a soft apology as he stretched and pulled himself from the car to look around the parking garage. 

_We’ll see you at home, hyung._

His stretch ended in a shiver and a slow exhale while Taekwoon bit his lip.  Whatever was waiting for him probably wouldn’t be too bad, the others had had a whole day to get over whatever it was that was going on and just because there had been a promise to those words didn’t mean it would be enacted on.

Taekwoon started walking to the elevators with the manager at his side.

Except it did mean that.  Vixx didn’t break promises to each other.

Taekwoon let out a light long sigh as the elevator doors closed and began its upward trek.  The manager took it as a sign of exhaustion no doubt, Taekwoon was exhausted make no mistake, and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.  He gave a closed mouth twitch similar to a smile in return and they quietly stepped out onto the dorm floor and made their way towards Taekwoon’s doom. 

The manager held open the door for the younger man and reminded him to get a shower and reapply the bruise cream before bed.

Taekwoon gave a nod of assent and closed the door as he walked away. 

He stood for a few moments, took a few breaths, and tried to will his shoulders to drop the tension that had filled them on the ride up.  A few seconds of that not working and he turned away from the door to be met with the stares of Wonshik and Jaehwan as they laid out on the couch; both in perfectly staged positions of relaxation that were belied by how stiff they looked and how sharp their gazes were on him.

“Hyung, you’re home!”  Jaehwan exclaimed, no doubt alerting everyone else to his arrival.

Taekwoon gave a nod and soft hum before making his way past the couch and to the goal of his room, hopefully unimpeded.  But Jaehwan had done his job well and Hakyeon appeared in his path before he could make it fully into the hallway and his freedom.

“Woonie, it’s so late.” Hakyeon slipped a hand around his bicep and spoke in a soft tone, similar to his leader voice but hushed and nearly soothing.  The kind of voice he used to try and either get something he wanted from someone or convince Taekwoon of something; sometimes they were the same thing.  “You left us waiting so long, come have some dinner.”

“I need to shower hyung.”  He said in response and looked toward the hallway once more.  Whatever confrontation they had planned, and there was one planned this whole situation smelled of an ambush just waiting to happen, could wait.

“Didn’t you get one after workout today, hyung?”  Hyuk asked innocently, leaning against the archway into the kitchen with Hongbin behind him. Nothing about Sanghyuk was to be taken innocently, particularly if he was attempting to make it seem innocent.  Taekwoon shot him a small glare; the maknae knew well and good he hadn’t.  Knew that he’d bolted from the gym as soon as he could earlier, barely taking the time to even change when he had heard Wonshik come into the locker room after him. 

Hyuk only replied with a big smile.

They all knew Taekwoon hadn’t gotten that shower earlier.

“Is that why hyung told you take a shower when he dropped you off?”  Wonshik asked casually.

“It can wait,” Hakyeon said before Taekwoon could reply. “Come on Woonie.”

He gave a tug to his arm and quickly let go when Taekwoon let out a sharp hiss as his face pinched and he made to jerk his arm out of Hakyeon’s hand. 

Taekwoon’s hand went to rub at the spot high on his bicep.

If his face hadn’t been directed at his arm he would have seen the pointed frowns of Hakyeon and Wonshik, and the plain pointed looks of Sanghyuk and Jaehwan.

“Are you bruised there too Taekwoon?”  Hongbin asked now dropping any of the formalities they had been throwing around, another thing that clued Taekwoon into this being a confrontation, as he moved around Hyuk and stood directly behind Taekwoon.

He froze, hand still on his arm and…

Was that really what all this had been about?

The bruises he got from some unbalanced coat racks and lights.

They took his silence and tense posture as an affirmation.

“Who did you let bruise you Taekwoon?”   Hakyeon demanded, voice no longer soft and cajoling.

“I didn’t let anyone do anything.” He said firmly and frowned at the older man.  He’d made it sound like Taekwoon was at fault somehow and that was not ok. “It was an accident.”

“Hyung,” Wonshik started, trying to ease the room. “He didn’t mean it like th-“

“Doesn’t matter.”  Taekwoon cut him off and slid past Hakyeon, his back to the wall to keep anyone else from stopping him.  He’d had enough of this and was going to have his shower then go to his room.  There were enough snacks in there for the night and his lock would keep them out till morning. “It doesn’t concern him.  Or any of you.” 

Taekwoon firmly shut the bathroom door behind him and locked it, a move more definitive that slamming it could have ever been.

He quickly turned on the shower so he wouldn’t have to hear anyone and undressed.  He stepped into the stall, even though the water wasn’t as hot as he liked, and let the water beat down on his back.  As it grew warmer and the room misted over Taekwoon tried to take deep steady breaths. 

There was an anger inside of him.

He didn’t like it.

Didn’t really understand it.

No, he understood it.  It was born from being treated like he’d done something wrong and was supposed to confess to his crime and ask for forgiveness.

Taekwoon scrubbed at his scalp with sudsy hands and blew a huff out of his nose.

He’d done nothing wrong.

The others were the one who were acting weird and caging him in and accusing him of things.  Making it sound like it was _his fault_ that a stupid accident had happened.  Like it was _his fault_ someone else didn’t get hurt, not that he was really hurt they were just bruises that would fade with time. 

Taekwoon turned off the water and reached for a towel.

Maybe he could convince his manager to let Taekwoon stay at the company the next night?  It wouldn’t be hard to use the excuse of writing or just stubborn desire to stay.  Either way he was going to spend as little time with the others as he could in the near future.  Let _them_ realize _they_ were in the wrong.

Taekwoon opened the door and found an earnest eyed Hakyeon on the other side.

“Taekwoon, we really should talk.” 


	4. EP: Confession Layers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> back with the members thoughts and feelings  
> note: the timeline will feel a bit disjointed but know that each section takes place over a 2 day period and wonshik's section has the most complete timeline of events, at least that's how i feel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello you beautiful people, thanks for all the sweet words in comments, sorry it took so long to get this out but i hit like a huge wave of writter's block and decided to watch about 3 whole dramas instead of trying to work on it  
> BUT WE BACK EVERYONE  
> anyways get ready for that ball to start rolling cause once i got started i got them feelings rolling~

They all pretty much knew the second that Taekwoon’s gaze had shifted to a camera ready iciness that Hakyeon was not going to get a kind welcome when he tried to talk with him after his shower.  Hyuk of course made his thoughts known as soon as they heard the bathroom door lock by turning to the oldest and saying, “Wow hyung, maybe you should think about a career in putting your foot in your mouth.”

Hakyeon’s lack of heated reaction a true testament to just how upset he knew he’d made their dark haired vocalist.

Although Jaehwan did muffle a snort and they shared an amused look. 

Because it really was Hakyeon that was going to get the brunt of Taekwoon’s coolly burning anger the next day, and it was absolutely going to be a day of him getting the cold shoulder, while the rest were going to get an intensely-focused-on-not-interacting-with-Hakyeon Taekwoon that was a guarantee of making Hakyeon pouty, which was always hilarious in Sanghyuk’s opinion.

This was an accurate prediction for not just the next day, but for the day after.  And with how Hakyeon had decided to make Jaehwan suffer with him, it turned into nearly two whole days of Taekwoon half way inserting himself into the middle of whatever grouping that Hyuk, Hongbin, and Wonshik were in any time he had to be with the group. 

Something that Hyuk was entirely too delighted, Wonshik’s words not his, to indulge in. 

He was one of the only, if not only, members that was physically larger than Taekwoon and thus was the perfect candidate for hiding behind and blocking others from getting to him at times like these.  At least on a physical front, really any of the members could probably stare someone down from getting too touchy with their Taekwoon.

In truth it had been a while since Hyuk had had the chance to be around Taekwoon this much.  They’d all been doing more solo activities and had recently had some time to visit their families before a really busy seven months hit them.  Taekwoon and Jaehwan were in the process of casting for musicals, Hongbin always had the chance to do more drama work, and Hakyeon was dedicated to whatever it was he had on his mind other than dancing.  And Sanghyuk had been trying his hand at gaining more knowledge towards the actual production of their music along with dipping into the acting pool.

So with nearly a full day of Taekwoon actually seeking him out and him feeling just bored enough to make life more difficult for everyone, truly one of his favorite pastimes, and with the information of just how everything blew out of proportion, Hyuk felt it was only fair he get to shake things up a little.

And by shake things up, he absolutely intended to say fuck you to the past two years of his hyungs telling him to have patience, and say hello to the past five years of feelings that had only grown over said time.

This meant that when Wonshik asked if he wanted to get dinner with him, Jaehwan, and Hongbin, Hyuk said he still had some gym time and that he’d eat at the dorms with Hakyeon-hyung. 

And Hyuk did put in some time at the gym, but it wasn’t long before he found himself drawn to the studio that Taekwoon had hid away in earlier that evening after having some kind of talk with Wonshik.  He walked in on Taekwoon playing through an old LR song on a keyboard, looking almost peaceful with his eyes closed and shoulders relaxed.  Gently closing the door so as not to disturb the dark haired man, Hyuk watched pale slender fingers move effortlessly from familiar chords to something new and equally melodious. 

“Is that a new b-side?”  Hyuk asked, only after Taekwoon had added a few notations to a sheet of music because he knew the elder startled easily. 

And sure enough Taekwoon gave a slight jump in his seat and turned to look at the younger’s smirking face.

“It might be.” Taekwoon finally answered before turning back the keyboard and trying out a few more sequences of notes.  Hyuk said nothing else, just leaned against the studio door and watched as the vocalist wrote notes and struck them through with near equal frequency. 

After some time it seemed Taekwoon had marked a whole sheet with his revisions and stood to get another from a side desk. 

Hyuk waited till he’d copied what he deemed usable, and was making a second squinty check to be sure he’d gotten everything, before speaking.

“Sorry for ganging up on you the other night, hyung.”

“You definitely are not sorry, Han Sanghyuk.”  Taekwoon shot over his shoulder without looking.  “You haven’t been sorry about those kinds of things in years.”

“No one can **make** me be sorry anymore, hyung.” Hyuk said with a grin and a shrug. “Why would we pretend otherwise?”

Taekwoon shook his head, “And people wonder why Hakyeon despairs over you not being our sweet dongsaeng anymore.”

Hyuk laughed in response and moved towards Taekwoon. 

Who had pulled a few more sheets over paper, this time with what might have been lyrics on them, out and was holding them with one hand while the other supported his weight on the table.

“You know hyung, sometimes you all joke about how cute I was back when we first debuted.” Hyuk started off, now fully behind the other. “How shy and awkward I would act around you, hyung.  But I’m glad I changed.  After all the old me wouldn’t have even thought of doing this.”

He didn’t give Taekwoon a chance to question what ‘this’ was and pressed himself fully into his back, arms on either side of him and caging him in.

Hooking his chin over one shoulder Hyuk could see that the papers in Taekwoon’s grasp were wrinkled beyond repair, he could also see that Taekwoon was avoiding looking at him.

He slid a hand up the length of Taekwoon’s arm, over his shoulder and to his neck.  Cupping his jaw, Sanghyuk used his grip to turn his head to meet his gaze.  His other arm wrapped around Taekwoon’s waist and he felt the muscles there clench under his hold.  He felt and saw Taekwoon swallow beneath his hand.

Hyuk grinned.

“What are you doing?”  Taekwoon asked, voice airier than before as he was obviously trying to gather himself, and he made to straighten his back.  Hyuk knew there were precious few seconds before Taekwoon forcibly removed himself and went in for the kill.

“Showing you that I like you hyung.”

Taekwoon stilled.

“At first it was because you were so talented and imposing and you were such a pretty hyung that I had to see every single day, that I **got** to see every single day.  I wasn’t sure what to do.  What to say,” Sanghyuk flexed his fingers against Taekwoon’s waist and shifted his weight.  “You barely said anything, and I thought it was just a little crush on my pretty hyung who was quiet and cold and untouchable, but you opened up to us and showed that you were sweet hyunggie, that you cared about us and were silly.  And you just kept getting prettier.  And seeing you smile makes me know it’s not a crush, because I love your smile Taekwooonie.”  A quick pull on his waist and Taekwoon was facing Sanghyuk.

That Taekwoon had been leaning against the table beforehand worked in Hyuk’s favor as he was now able press down with his weight and keep him in his arms.  He pulled the older man closer, now chest to chest, and the air that followed a soft gasp brushed against his face. 

Hyuk grinned.

“I love every sound that comes out of your lips, hyung.”

Taekwoon stared at him in shock, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. 

The best invitation he was going to get, Sanghyuk’s hand drifted into Taekwoon’s hair and gently gripped at the strands before moving in to deliberately place his lips over the older man’s.  Through slitted eyes he watched as Taekwoon’s own grew even wider, he heard a sharp inhale, and felt his shoulders rise from the deep breath he took. 

His open lips allowed Hyuk to lick into Taekwoon’s mouth, his eyes fluttered shut and Hyuk put more pressure behind the kiss. 

A steady and hard press of his lips and it was almost as though Taekwoon was blooming under him, going a sort of pliant in his hold and slotting his own head for a better angle.  Hyuk felt his fingers clench at the fabric of his shirt when their tongues touched and huffed a laugh into the kiss, his own eyes falling shut.  For several long moments he basked in the feeling of Taekwoon under his fingers and lips and savored the small hitches that the other was half heartedly trying to hold back.

A nip to his bottom lip and Hyuk was graced with a delicate half bit back whimper.

Immediately he brought his teeth back to the lip and gave a soft tug, earning a high whimper that ended with the under currents of a moan.

At that sound Hyuk pulled back with a smirk, hand falling down to hold the back of Taekwoon’s neck, admiring the stunned features of the man in his arms.  Dark hair messy on one side where Sanghyuk had held him in place, pupils blown wide and reflecting the lights over head, a darkening flush moving its way down Taekwoon’s neck, and his lips a shiny near red pink, bottom one growing a deeper red by the second.

“I’m tired of everyone telling me to wait, so I’m letting you know that I like you.  And I’m going to keep liking you and there’s nothing you can do about it hyung.”

Satisfied by his reaction Hyuk smiled brightly and removed himself from Taekwoon.  A glance down and he saw that the papers Taekwoon’d been holding had ended up the floor when he’d spun him around. 

He bent to pick them up.

An empty room with an open door was all he saw when he stood back up, just as he’d expected.

Hyuk chuckled and pulled out his phone to send a message to Hongbin.

 **Hyuk** :

First

Also can confirm, Taekwoon’s lips? soft af

;)))

(seen 21:35)

-

“He’s been avoiding us.” Jaehwan whined into his cup.

“No he hasn’t,” Said Hongbin, chopsticks out and searching for the best bite of meat on the grill. “He’s been avoiding you two.  Taekwoon seems perfectly fine around Wonshik, Hyuk, and me.”

Seeing a perfectly cooked piece of pork he quickly picked it up before either Jaehwan or Wonshik could notice.  Not that it was very likely Jaehwan would, considering how he was draped over Wonshik’s side lamenting Taekwoon’s exemplary skills in avoidance, but it always paid to be faster than Wonshik when meat was at stake.

Hongbin grinned to himself at the slight pun and went back to hunting for more pieces with just the right caramelization on the fat.

“You’re really not helping.”  Wonshik said as he patted at Jaehwan’s back.

“I’m not here to help, I’m here to eat.”  Hongbin told him simply.

“That’s a very Taekwoon thing to say,” Jaehwan muttered. “And now I miss him even more.”

Wonshik shot Hongbin a pleading look that he rolled his eyes in reply to, it wasn’t like Jaehwan hadn’t seen Taekwoon at all over the past few days, still he set down his chopsticks and settled his chin into a hand with a sigh.

“First of all hyung wouldn’t say that, he’s just give us all a look and we’d know he meant it.  And secondly, you do know the only reason he’s avoiding you is because Hakyeon-hyung is always around you right now, right?”  Hongbin questioned, his focus turning to making some wraps on his plate.

“Duh!  But that’s not something I can help!” He practically yelled at them, throwing his arms out and slumping back into his seat.

“We know, we know, god we all know.”  Wonshik tried to placate the loud man.

“Yes, we’ve all been through the two days of whining and patheticness because Taekwoon is making an actual effort to put some space between them.”  Hongbin said as dryly as he could even though he could feel the grin breaking through.

“Hyung said he was ready to talk to Hakyeon-hyung earlier.”  Wonshik spoke up, finally getting a chance to put some food in his mouth with Jaehwan’s focus off of him.  Chewing on a less than beautifully cooked piece of meat he stared longingly at Hongbin’s plate.  Hongbin grinned victoriously over his bounty and relished the way that Wonshik pouted as he put a piece into his mouth and chewed through the tender meat.

“Really?” Jaehwan perked up at the possibility of good news and shoved his way back into Wonshik’s space to look him in the face.

“Yeah,” He replied trying to shake him off and get at least some of the good vegetables left on the grill. “Hyung said he just needed some time to calm down.  That it’s been a stressful few weeks and hyung’s comment had been the tipping point.”

“So they’re going to make up.” Hongbin stated. “Good.  Maybe we can all get some time together, do a movie night or something.”

“Are you kidding?” Wonshik asked. “Hakyeon-hyung’ll probably **insist** on some kind of bonding activity so he can plaster himself all over Taekwoon and then flaunt it at us.”

Hongbin hummed in agreement, chewing through the last of his portion of meat, and picked up his phone to check the text he’d gotten, it took a few seconds for the words to connect in his mind before he started laughing.

“Or not, looks like Wonshik and me are the only one’s hyung’s not going to be avoiding for a while.”  At the perplexed looks of his dinner companions Hongbin showed them the open message on his screen. “Hyuk kissed Taekwoon.”

“WHAT!”  Hongbin kept laughing as Wonshik tried to quiet Jaehwan by shoving overcooked meat into his mouth and made a split second decision. 

“Well looks like it’s time for some damage control.”  He said pulling a few bills out of his wallet and setting them on the table.

“You are not damage control Lee Hongbin, you are ‘make it worse and laugh about it’.”  Wonshik hissed at him.

“Dmge cntrol is Shiiie.”  Jaehwan managed to get out with his mouth full as he made what he thought were subtle moves to take Hongbin’s loaded down plate for his own.

“Maybe so, but I got up first and I know where to find hyung sooo…” He shrugged, pushed his plate towards Jaehwan's hand, and gave them a wave.  “Tell Hakyeon-hyung I’ll be home in an hour or so.”

He turned before either of them could protest, and a few seconds before exiting the restaurant he heard the distinctly dismayed sound of someone who thought they were hitting the jackpot of meatwraps but only found veggies.

With evening traffic it would be an almost fifteen minute walk back to the company, giving Hongbin ample time to decide just how to approach the situation.

What he was going to do was solidified about five seconds after the meaning of Hyuk’s text registered in his mind, but the steps to it were still in progress.  Any scenarios that ended in Taekwoon not running away were abandoned immediately because that’s what their soft spoken vocalist did.

Taekwoon wasn’t confrontational when it came to emotional matters.  He preferred retreat and giving himself time to assess his own feelings and possible consequences then he would go to whoever it was the problem was with and try to work it out.

Hongbin thought that they could be very alike in that manner, except he was much more likely to get even before he got along. 

He and Taekwoon rarely had arguments, to be honest most people rarely had arguments with Taekwoon, but when they did they were resolved quickly with little fuss and were usually sealed with a trick played on the others.

So it really came as no surprise to Hongbin that Taekwoon had told Wonshik he was ready to talk to Hakyeon again.  He’d probably been ready to talk the night before but was so tired from the intense labor of avoiding their leader that it wasn’t worth it to approach him.  Regardless they probably would have talked it out.  Hakyeon would have apologized and Taekwoon would have explained why he got upset and Hakyeon would have insisted on a hug then a ‘family night’, that would result in the entire group gathering in the living room to watch movies and at least half of them would fall asleep by the second one, and some semblance of peace would have been restored to the near boiling pot that was Vixx’s emotional status.

Waving to a few late night stragglers as he entered the building, Hongbin headed for the elevators and shook his head as the doors closed.  They could have had at least another two weeks of peace and by then they would have been way too busy for this nonsense.

But that impatient little shit Hyuk just had to get the ball rolling.

He came to a door that led to a dinky little closet of a composition/practice room; and there was Taekwoon just as he’d expected, sitting on the floor, knees to his chest, and head tilted back with his eyes closed in the semi-dark.  A computer was dimly lit and Hongbin could make out some lines of text that Taekwoon had probably tried to distract himself by writing, but it hadn’t worked as he’d hoped if his current position was any indication.

Softly closing the door behind him, Hongbin lowered himself into place beside Taekwoon.  He slid an arm between his back and the wall and loosely wrapped it around his waist then settled in to wait.

A few minutes of quiet and Taekwoon’s head dropped onto his shoulder with the rest of his body following, leaning his entire weight into Hongbin’s side and chest, nearly putting himself into his lap.  He settled a cheek on top of Taekwoon’s head and grinned into his hair.

Taekwoon initiating this kind of intimate contact was a highly sought after prize.  Even once he became more open to tactility from them, in fact it was even more highly lauded now a days because he allowed more, and was a thing to be lorded over each other for a quick laugh and to induce pouting in certain people.

“Hyukkie…” Taekwoon trailed off and Hongbin used a knuckle to tilt his head up to meet his eyes.  He gave an encouraging look and Taekwoon sighed.  His eyes drifted close and continued. “He said he had feelings for me.”

Hongbin hmmed.  Taekwoon opened his mouth and closed it a few times.

“He kissed me.”  Taekwoon said in a near whispered confession.

Hongbin hmmed again.

Taekwoon opened his eyes and wet his lips unsurely.

“This is very confusing.”

“Well I’m about to make it even more confusing.” Hongbin spoke for the first time since entering the room and loosened his arm around Taekwoon’s waist knowing he was going to pull a runner in a few moments.

“What?”  Taekwoon’s eyebrows scrunched together questioningly.

“Sanghyuk isn’t the only one who feels that way hyung.”  Hongbin took advantage of the slow confusion present on Taekwoon’s face and pressed a delicate kiss to his partially parted lips.

-

Wonshik knew that any confrontation wasn’t going to go well.

Wonshik knew that Hongbin absolutely knew that as well but still made no effort to stop Hakyeon from a potential ambush because Hongbin was a shit stirrer of the highest degree.

Wonshik knew that something was upsetting Taekwoon, could see it in the tightness around his eyes and the way he bit at his bottom lip to near chappedness.  He was drawing away from them during the moments they had together as a group, which in turn amped the clinginess overall of everyone’s behavior towards him, not even in an overt manner, it was more a reduction of participation than anything else.  It implied that Taekwoon had something weighing on his mind.

And the one thing they all knew about Taekwoon was that he wasn’t one to just air his problems out when they got to be too much, but rather to bottle them up and then let them out at the slightest provocation in a sometimes aggressive, but often times messily emotional, manner that they would have to parse through to get to the heart of the matter.  Or, the more likely scenario, someone would recognize the tics that led up to such a thing and cut off any potential melt down with a few calm words, calm touches, and a little encouragement.

The best method they’d developed was for Jaehwan to get the process started, he was genuinely good at getting through the surface layers of bullshit in a doesn’t-feel-invasive-or-forced way, before handing Taekwoon off to Hakyeon or Wonshik for a TALK.  Hongbin could sometimes be counted on to do the emotional relief, but it was usually followed by an increase in sarcasm and pranks in Taekwoon so they didn’t really like to leave it up to Hongbin. 

Considering Hakyeon was the spark this time he was off the list of mature adults who Taekwoon could be convinced to talk to.

Sanghyuk was a little shit, who would probably make a great listener and let Taekwoon talk through whatever was bothering him but was best saved for maturity detox, along with Hongbin, after the fact.

So when Jaehwan had pulled Taekwoon from the group that first morning, Wonshik wasn’t too bothered and figured it would be his turn soon enough.

A relatively peaceful hour or two passed before they were all together again for some group work.

Wonshik knew that Taekwoon was feeling better overall once he and Jaehwan joined them for choreo. 

He was smiling and then glaring after Jaehwan and yes he still positioned himself as far away from Hakyeon as possible throughout practice but he wasn’t looking as anxious around the edges.

Those edges were still anxious, but not to the degree of severity Wonshik realized they had been.

Of course it wasn’t till he and Hakyeon were in an early afternoon fitting that Wonshik even remembered what had been the tipping point to all this drama.

“You better be taking care of Taekwoon.”  Mina said as she smoothed down the jacket Wonshik had just slid on.

“What?”

“Of course we are.” 

Wonshik and Hakyeon spoke at the same time.

“Good,” Mina squinted her eyes at Wonshik and tilted her head to see if the stitching on the shoulder was noticeable. “Because he got hurt keeping me from getting hurt and he’s probably really sore.  Especially if he doesn’t get someone to help rub in the cream and stretch him out.”

Wonshik and Hakyeon shared a look before Hakyeon let out a quiet ‘What?’

Mina stepped back and looked between them.

“The bruises.  Taekwoon’s bruises he got from getting hit by some lights and clothing racks, the other night when he moved me out of th-“ She stopped and her mouth went flat. “He, he didn’t tell you did he?”

They both shook their heads at her and she sighed.

“Dumb kid.  Well his torso is covered in bruises.”  She motioned for Wonshik to take of the jacket and started hanging it up. “Now that you know, make sure he doesn’t make them worse.”

She busied herself with a sash on Hakyeon as they both absorbed the news of just how stupid they had been.

It was difficult to get Taekwoon alone, and after reading through a series of emoji ridden texts from Jaehwan Wonshik knew Taekwoon would want to talk alone, over the next day and a half.  Part of it was just the quasi-freedom of days where they could set their own schedules, and the prior commitment to getting group work out of the way so the next day could be more individualized, that kept Wonshik from getting to talk with Taekwoon.  And part of it was the vocalist himself, who possibly knew that a conversation was forthcoming and was doing his damndest to stay in a grouping of Wonshik, Hongbin, and Sanghyuk.

The whole day passed like that, with Taekwoon either inserting his self between at least two of them or disappearing off on his own.

He even managed to leave the company before any of them that evening and go back the next morning before any of them were awake.

It was early afternoon before Wonshik was finally able to have the time to track Taekwoon down, he was in one of the older composition rooms obviously hiding from everyone, and drag him, whining and all, back to Wonshik’s studio.  Once there he locked the door, dimmed the lights, and shoved the other man onto his couch.

Almost immediately Taekwoon quieted and slumped into the cushions at the awkward angle Wonshik’s push had landed him in. 

Looking at the dark haired man, the hard neon lighting of his studio throwing sharp lines of shadow across Taekwoon’s face which only served to highlight the dark circles under his eyes and pinched shape of his mouth, Wonshik could see that he probably hadn’t slept the night before, or the night before that most likely, and was in dire need of some rest.

Unfortunately for Taekwoon, rest was not what Wonshik could offer him in the immediate.

Fortunately for Wonshik, Taekwoon was much more agreeable when he was tired.

First Wonshik set one of his computers to playing a mellow playlist, then he sat on one end of the couch and maneuvered Taekwoon till his head was resting in the rapper’s lap and the rest of him was draped across the couch.  He buried one hand in his hair and let the other rest on Taekwoon’s stomach.

Slowly and with the utmost gentleness he could, Wonshik let his nails drag lightly across Taekwoon’s scalp.

Taekwoon gave a soft hum of contentment and pressed into Wonshik’s hand.

“Hyung,” Taekwoon made a louder hum of acknowledgement. “Jaehwan told me how you’ve been feeling.”

Taekwoon frowned and turned his face bury it in Wonshik’s stomach.

“Taekwoonie,” Wonshik crooned at him around a smile. “Hyunggie.”

“Tired.”  Taekwoon moaned into his shirt.

“The sooner we talk the sooner you get some sleep.” Wonshik told him and took the hand out of his hair.

Taekwoon groaned at the loss and glared, pout fully formed, at the younger man.

Wonshik tapped his fingers against Taekwoon’s ribs and simply stared at him with a tiny smile.  Eventually Taekwoon sighed and his eyes slipped closed.

“I’ve just been… tired.” He pressed a hand to his face and spoke in an unsure manner, searching for his words. “And feeling… lonely.  I know we’ve all been busy, but I just haven’t… been feeling like I’m present enough.”

“Like you haven’t been active enough working or like you haven’t been contributing enough?”

“Contributing.”  Came the muffled answer as Taekwoon pressed his hand harder against his face.  Wonshik sighed and brought the hand from his stomach up to it and tangled their fingers together before pulling it back.

Their eyes locked and he settled his other hand back into Taekwoon’s hair.

“I’m not giving everything I can to Vixx and I don’t like it.”  Taekwoon finally said deliberately, as though he’d been thinking of the exact wording to use for this very moment.

Which knowing him, Wonshik was sure he had.

“Hyung, no one thinks that but you.” He tightened his grip on Taekwoon’s hand when it looked like he was going to contradict him and repeated himself. “No. One. Thinks. That. But. You.  I promise you hyung, none of us think you aren’t pulling your weight.  There hasn’t even been weight to pull the past few months.”

Taekwoon’s mouth pinched and he got as far as “I don’t-“, before Wonshik interrupted him.

“You don’t have to believe me right now, but it’s true. And just because you don’t think it is, won’t stop it from being true.”

He huffed at him and looked away.  Wonshik sighed and dug his fingers into the base of Taekwoon’s skull making the man in his lap shudder.

“You are enough just as you are hyung.”  Wonshik said forcefully.  He let their joined hands rest on Taekwoon’s chest and soon enough he could feel the pulse of Taekwoon’s heart through them.

“You do enough for us.”

He carded the black strands of hair between his fingers and spoke in a softer tone.

“We appreciate you and know you appreciate us.”

The last of the tension was finally fading from Taekwoon.  It was the kind that Wonshik recognized as tension that you mostly didn’t know was there till it was gone.  It was the kind that Taekwoon most often held and that Wonshik had gotten too used to seeing in the vocalist.  It was the kind that Wonshik had helped bleed out of Taekwoon more times than either cared to acknowledge over the year and a half since they had grown closer.

Soon enough Taekwoon nodded and gave an exhale of an ‘ok’ and that was all that Wonshik needed to know that at least some part of him was conceding to his words, and that was at least two thirds the battle when it came to convincing the older man of something.

Settling into a comfortable silence Wonshik knew it wouldn’t take long for Taekwoon to fall asleep.  He’d gotten a comfy couch specifically for that purpose; Taekwoon even encouraged the purchase, though he was partially motivated by a desire for Wonshik to take naps too. 

Only after Wonshik was absolutely sure that his breathing had evened out enough that Taekwoon was asleep did he let out a heavy sigh.

“I wish I could do more for you.”  He focused on the lone mole beneath his right eye, brushing a few stray strands of hair from his face.  “I want to do so much for you, Taekwoon.”

It was as close as Wonshik figured he could get to a confession. 

They were always so busy with work and always had so much on their minds that Wonshik didn’t want to make Taekwoon deal with the weight of his feelings.

He didn’t view his feelings as a burden to bear for himself, but he knew that they would be more than Taekwoon could manage on his own.  Besides he had the other members to share with seeing as they were all in the same boat.

So for right now, these moments of comfortable silence with Taekwoon, where he could say all that he wanted while the older man was asleep, were enough.

Too bad that Han “Not-So-Little-Anymore-Shit” Sanghyuk **didn’t** think it was enough.

Which is exactly how Wonshik ended up at the dorm’s kitchen table at eleven pm on a Thursday, about an hour and a half since Hongbin had left them at the restaurant, while Jaehwan insisted on getting the exact details of the night’s events from the far too smug duo of Hyuk and Hongbin. 

Both of whom were only too happy to tell them what they’d done.

 “Am I the only one who hasn’t confessed to hyung now?”  Wonshik asked the other three men around the table.

“Well, you and Jaehwan-hyung.”  Hyuk answered Wonshik, poking at some of the leftovers he and Jaehwan had brought him from dinner.

“Not true, I told him we loved him, he just didn’t understand exactly what I meant.”  Jaehwan scrunched his face at them and took a sip from his bottle.

“What?”  Even though the question was quiet they all heard the soft voice ask it.  They turned and there in the doorway to the kitchen was Taekwoon, watching them with wide eyes.

“Shit.”  Hyuk said with a tilt of happiness to his voice.

Wonshik watched as Taekwoon took a few deep breathes and all of the sudden he was gone and they could all hear the front door slam shut.

“Fuuuccccccckkkkkkkkkk.”  Wonshik moaned as his head fell to the table. 

-

Truth be told, Jaehwan thought it was pretty funny when his hyungs had real arguments.

Hakyeon was generally unpredictable on how he would try to solve a problem, though he would try to solve it as soon as possible, confrontation thy name is Cha Hakyeon, but Taekwoon was utterly predictable in his avoidance techniques until he wanted to work something out.

So it was no surprise to any of them, after overhearing Taekwoon say he didn’t want to talk with Hakyeon that night, when Taekwoon started the morning with a deliberate distance between himself and their leader.

Inching his way into the kitchen for a near silent breakfast and cup of coffee.  Avoiding eye contact with anyone even near Hakyeon, definitely ignoring the audible pout on his face, and otherwise keeping in his room till their ride came.  And it made sense for Taekwoon to take the seat furthest from said pouting leaderin the car that morning.

Of course, Jaehwan was delighted to have a soft looking sleepy Taekwoonie all to himself in the back seat.  Sure Wonshik was on his other side but being in the middle meant he got to snuggle up to his favorite, baring himself obviously, vocalist.

Tired Taekwoon was a few levels down on the scale of cautiousness of touches than not tired Taekwoon.  So to say that he was far more agreeable to being settled onto someone’s shoulder and being told to get some more sleep, and doing so.  In less than a minute there was a dozing boy leaning into him and letting out soft little puffs of air. 

Jaehwan shot the obviously-looking-but-trying-not-to-make-it-look-like-I’m-looking-even-though-our-eyes-are-meeting-in-the-rearview-mirror Hakyeon a bright grin and shuffled his shoulders to get a little more comfy then settled in to enjoy a nice ride to the company with a warm weight at his side.

It felt like no time before they were unloading from the van and being told the requirements for the day by one of their managers. 

It was one of those intermediate days before comeback preparations could start in earnest and they were all still splitting the majority of their time between solo pursuits and the beginning stages of rehearsals.  This meant they mostly got to decide how the day’s schedule worked out, just so long as they completed what they needed to.

Jaehwan, always one to take full advantage of any advantage he was given, the current being the lemons life had handed Hakyeon, quickly led a still waking Taekwoon away from the others and towards a vocal practice room.

“We should warm up together, hyunggie.” Jaehwan told him at Taekwoon’s questioning sound. “Just like we used to.”

The brisk walk left him a looking little more away and he nodded at the suggestion that was really more of a statement considering the lack of question in Jaehwan’s voice.  A soft curl of his lips and Jaehwan was graced with a tired giggle.

“Just like we used to?”  He asked with mischievous glint that planning something with Hongbin usually brought to his eyes.

Jaehwan let out a laugh as he remembered their old vocal classes.

Back when they were still young trainees, and those slotted for more intense vocal training would warm up together before the coaches arrived, there would be intense high note show downs.  Jaehwan learned that his own experience of being blown away by Taekwoon was pretty universal to any new trainee that came into the company.  He was a dark horse that the older trainees knew would come at the eleventh hour, so to say, lay his vocal smack down, and then retreat back into his silent shell. 

With the addition of Jaehwan though, there was a new challenger to the high note champion title and he managed to bring Taekwoon’s competitive side out in no time.

So they would have some impressive high note battles and many of the other trainees would try to keep up.  After a few weeks the coaches made them warm up away from the others if they were going to keep doing it because there was too high of chance of someone over extending their range and hurting themselves trying to play along.

“We were terrible,” Jaehwan snickered and handed Taekwoon a water bottle.  “I loved it.”

Taekwoon snorted and took a long pull from the bottle before handing it back.

“I miss it sometimes.” He said watching Jaehwan take a few sips then a mouthful to swish around.

Jaehwan raised an eyebrow, mouth still full of water, to encourage him to continue. 

Taekwoon sighed.

“Looking back, things used to be so simple,” Taekwoon looked at his hands. “Not easy, it wasn’t easy, but simple.  We had a dream we worked towards, and that was our lives.”

Jaehwan watched as Taekwoon pushed a hand through his hair and sighed.

“I don’t know.  I feel like I’m not holding myself to the same standards, like I’m letting things slip.”

Jaehwan set the water bottle down and laid a hand on Taekwoon’s shoulder.  He met his eyes and said with an almost too soft to hear voice, “Sometimes I’m worried I’m not doing enough, that I’m not here enough, or that I won’t be.  That I’m not as invested as I need to be in us, in Vixx.”

“Hyung,” He pulled the taller man into a hug. “That’s not true, that’s so not true.  So what you’ve been getting ready for other stuff.  We all have!”

He patted his back.

“You aren’t the only one who’s doing things that take time away from Vixx.”

“I know.”  Came a timid reply as Taekwoon pulled away from his hold.

“Besides even if by some insane series of events we weren’t doing this anymore,” Jaehwan made a grand sweeping movement of his hand around the room.  “We’d still have each other.  You can’t get rid of us, hyung.  We love you too much to let you go Woonie, Hakyeon-hyung practically shouts it from the roof tops sometimes.” Jaehwan muttered the end of the sentence to himself, though Taekwoon heard him and his mouth pinched in agreement.

“Thanks, I think.” Taekwoon said and Jaehwan gave him a bright ‘of course’ in response.

After warm ups and running through some exercises they called it quits, without full songs to work on there wasn’t much vocal training they could do, and decided to find the others. 

Well Taekwoon decided they should join the others, Jaehwan would have been fine spending more time just the two of them.

But he figured one emotional interaction was probably more than enough for Taekwoon that day and gave in quickly to the elder’s decision.

It didn’t take more than a text to find out that everyone was in their main practice room reviewing choreo and in what felt like no time Taekwoon was opening the door and making his way in.

Jaehwan stopped him with a light hand on his arm before they joined the others across the room.

“Hyung we did better than our best, that’s why we made it.”  Jaehwan gave him a gentle smile that Taekwoon returned brightly.  His smiles held all the intensity of a small star bursting with light and Jaehwan really only had one response in the face of such happiness. 

His hand met the firm flesh of Taekwoon’s ass with a sharp clap, a high pitched yelp from the other man and he took off at a run for the others Taekwoon close behind him.

His hand may have stung a little from the hit and Hakyeon may have decided to plaster himself to his side for the rest of the day, thus alienating them both from Taekwoon, but it was definitely worth it in Jaehwan’s book.

-

Hakyeon was aware in the split second it had taken for Taekwoon’s eyes to narrow that he’d said the wrong thing.  Looking back on it he knew they had obviously chosen a poor time to try for a confrontation.

Although when was a good time to confront someone who was superb at running away?

So he anxiously waited outside the bathroom door.  
“You know he’s not going to want to talk, hyung.”  Jaehwan told him as he and Hongbin passed through the hall.

“Of course he’s not.  But Taekwoonie needs to know I know I said something wrong.  That I want to apologize.”

Jaehwan shook his head and Hongbin sighed as they went to their rooms, “We really shouldn’t have ganged up on him.”

So he’d waited, leaning against the wall opposite the door taking calming breaths.  Ten minutes later and he perked up at the sound of the shower being turned off.

A few minutes and he was face to face with a beautifully damp Taekwoon, whose face immediately blanked over excepting the tiny frown he couldn’t hide on his lips.

“We need to talk.” Hakyeon told him before he could enter the hallway.

“I don’t want to.”  Came the tight reply.  Taekwoon crossed his arms and looked away. 

Hakyeon swallowed, “I know, but I want you to know I want to apologize.”  Taekwoon opened his mouth and he quickly continued. “Not now, I know you don’t want to hear it now.  But when you’re ready, I can apologize and we can talk.  I really thing we need to talk.”

A few seconds of silence wherein he held his breath and finally Taekwoon gave a sharp nod.

“Alright, good night Taekwoonie.”  Hakyeon said with a smile.  He received another nod and stepped aside to let him get into the hallway. 

A door closed and that was the last he really saw of Taekwoon till the next morning as they were all tiredly climbing into a van to go to work. 

Taekwoon chose to sit in the very back, as opposed to a front passenger sitting Hakyeon, squished between a window and Jaehwan, who immediately sent Hakyeon a delighted, if somewhat manic, grin and latched onto the other man’s arm.  He was given a twisted mouth and slight cringe away as reply to a bright good morning.  Hakyeon kept an eye on the two from the rearview mirror as Jaehwan whispered something in a quickly resigned looking Taekwoon’s ear and pulled him into his side, an arm across his shoulders and a hand guided his head to rest in the hollow of the other vocalist’s neck.  Jaehwan shot Hakyeon a satisfied smile and settled in for the ride.

Hakyeon grit his teeth. 

If that’s how Jaehwan wanted to play then he was already fed up.

Once he had the chance, which didn’t arrive till halfway through the day, Hakyeon attached himself to Jaehwan’s side and watched as Taekwoon staunchly avoided them both.

Call it petty but in the situation, annoying Jaehwan like that was the only viable option.

Hyuk was too big to be afraid of anyone’s wrath anymore and was more likely to retaliate physically.  Hongbin would laugh it off as his eyes would promise death to Hakyeon’s skin care routine.  And Wonshik really was trying to keep the peace all while working himself to death and trying to keep Taekwoon from doing the same.

Hakyeon also knew it wasn’t really him that Taekwoon was upset with anymore.  Not only did Jaehwan spilling the Woonie Insecurity Beans assure him of that, but there was also something to be said for his gut feelings. 

After all these years not only was it hard to stay mad at each other but you could also tell when a person was feeling overwhelmed.

And for all that their Taekwoonie was quick to voice his displeasure at something; he wasn’t the best at sharing his feelings, particularly the negative ones brought on by self doubt. 

They all felt doubt and insecurities sometimes about their places in the group, Hyuk had the worst of it when they first debuted, about if they were good enough, practiced hard enough, were putting in enough of themselves into their music and performances.

Sometimes the constant maintenances of being an idol were too much for anyone to handle.  And Taekwoon was a cards to the chest kind of man.  He would bottle his problems up and try to ignore them till they could be ignored anymore, and unless one of the members offered him a chance to vent or relax those problems would cause a blowout.

So really a cold shoulder wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened, but Hakyeon still hated being kept from his Taekwoon even if, especially if, it was Taekwoon himself doing the keeping.

Hakyeon always wanted to resolve things in the moment but Taekwoon knew he needed to be rational or he would just dismiss whatever the elder had to say and it would be much longer before peace returned to them.  Taekwoon had probably been ready to talk that night but was embarrassed by his reaction and tried to hide in his work.

At least that’s what Hakyeon reasoned to himself as a new day dawned bright and the group realized that the object of their collective affections was nowhere to be found in the dorm.

A quick question to a manager revealed that their Taekwoon had left hours earlier to head to the company, and with the day’s schedules being mostly personalized there was no reason for Hakyeon to try and seek Taekwoon out beyond reconciliation.

Which it appeared Taekwoon didn’t yet want, considering Hakyeon was unable to track him down.

When everyone else appeared to be too busy to keep him company in his misery, Hakyeon made the executive, ‘dramatic’ Hyuk had muttered before getting a chop to the neck, decision to go back to the dorm and rest, ‘mope’ came the call from across the room and Hakyeon’s plan was put on hold for the two minutes it took to chase Hongbin down and give him the same treatment as Hyuk.

Regardless Hakyeon spent the hours between his own retreat to the dorm and the return of the others in an almost fugue state where he would putter around the kitchen or living room for small stretches of time, before ending up standing or sitting somewhere and getting lost in thought.  Eventually this puttering led him to his room and his bed.

And as most of them did when given a bed and half a minute to their selves, Hakyeon fell asleep.

Hours later and a slamming door woke him, but wasn’t concerning enough to make him leave the now sleep warm comforts of his bed.

Although the wealth of text messages that greeted him were almost enough to raise him, all Hakyeon could manage was several lines of emojis and exclamation points with a few choice words for the two youngest members. 

It took nearly an hour passing, what was definitely the sound of more people arriving, and hearing the voices of other people from somewhere in the dorm to finally convinced Hakyeon to come out of his room. 

Rather than join what he could assume, from the level of sound, was the majority of the members in the kitchen, Hakyeon made his way towards the balcony off the living room.  There was a faint light shining through their curtains and it was too cold a night for anyone to be out there very long.

Sliding the door open he was immediately met with the startled and wary eyes of the very eyes of the man who’d been avoiding him and who was slumped forward against the balcony railing.

Almost pitch black they flickered past him and then to his face before moving to stare back out into the night.

“Woonie,” Hakyeon called softly. “Would, can we talk?”

“Seems to be the day for it.” Came the soft reply.  Taking that as permission Hakyeon closed the door behind him and took small measured steps towards the other man.

“I’m so-“

“Please don’t apologize?”  Taekwoon sighed out.

“Wha-but I have to.”

“No, no you don’t.” 

“Yes I do.” Hakyeon reached out to put a hand on his arm and flinched at the chill of the flesh beneath his own.

“No.  It’s enough.” He finally looked him in the eyes and Hakyeon felt his breath catch at the way Taekwoon’s own seemed to reflect all the lights around them, like the stars had made a home inside his eyes. “It’s plenty.”

“But-“ He was cut off again.

“Hyung, you already said it.” Hakyeon could feel goosebumps on the skin under his fingers. “Before. It’s enough and I’m sorry too.”

“You do-“

“Yes I do, Yeonnie, and it should be enough too.” Taekwoon almost looked like he was pleading for Hakyeon to understand, to let it go.

Hakyeon smiled and wrapped his arms around Taekwoon.

“It is!” He said cheerfully and felt the small shiver going through Taekwoon. “It’s more than enough.”

“Great.”  Taekwoon said and stood as still as possible, waiting out the hug just like Hakyeon’d trained him over the years.

“You’re so cold Woonie,” Hakyeon whined into his shoulder. “How long have you been out here?”

“A while.”  It took a few moments for the answer to come as Taekwoon finally had enough and was trying to shrug him off.

“A while isn’t good for you Taek, you’re almost frozen.”  Hakyeon reprimanded as he grabbed one of Taekwoon’s hands and started rubbing it between his own.

“I just needed some time to think.”  Said Taekwoon, ducking his head down so Hakyeon wouldn’t be able to watch his face.

“Well you could have done that thinking inside.” Hakyeon told him matter of factly. “It’s too cold at night for anyone to be out here for very long.”

“Exactly.” Hakyeon switched hands. “There was no one out here.”

“You could have gone to your room and no one would have been there either.”

There was no reply for several long moments and Hakyeon used one of his hands to nudge Taekwoon’s chin up.  A few seconds and he sighed before closing his eyes.

“It was the first place I thought of when I got home.” Taekwoon said like a confession. “I panicked.”

“Why would you be so panicked?”

“Sanghyuk,” Taekwoon said haltingly. “And Hongbin- they said- they both-.”

He trailed off.

“They-?” Hakyeon asked, wanting him say it himself.

Taekwoon frowned and looked him in the eyes.

“I don’t know how to feel, hyung.”

“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what happened.”  He said giving one last pat to his hand and letting it go.  Taekwoon scrunched his nose in annoyance but tried to continue.

“Hyuk…”

“Hyuk-?”

“Hyuk kissed me,” He finally got out.  Hakyeon nodded.

“And Hongbin?”

“He did too?”

“And?”

“And?!  Hakyeon they both-“ Taekwoon opened his mouth a few times trying to find the right words. “They- both of them- I- they said they had feelings? And- and I just don’t- I don’t understand why?  Why both of them did this?”

“It’s not our fault you’re so loveable Taekwoon.”  Hakyeon said.

“No one said anything about love, hyung.” Taekwoon muttered.

“No on-“ Hakyeon spluttered and reached up to hold Taekwoon’s cold face in his hands. “Well I’m saying it.  Right here, right now.”

“What?”  Taekwoon’s eyes were wide. 

“Love, Woonie.  Love.”  Hakyeon pulled him forward.

“You love me Hakyeon?”

“Of course I do Taekwoon, I have loved you for years.” 

Taekwoon’s hands wrapped around his wrists and his eyes darted searchingly across his face.

“You don-“

“I **do** mean it.” Hakyeon said sternly. “Every single word of it.  I. Love. You.”

Taekwoon was silent.

For years Hakyeon had been learning just what those silences meant.

This was one of confusion and disbelief and perhaps of being overwhelmed.  And Hakyeon knew that it probably wasn’t the best idea to have said what he did just then, but there was only so much one man could take. 

“Hyung, you can’t-“

And Hakyeon had taken enough.

“Yes I **can** Jung Taekwoon.”  He said fiercely staring into his eyes. “ **And I do**.”

He pulled the younger’s face just a few centimeters closer and surged forward to place a firm kiss to his lips and held them there.


	5. Love and Desire, Side A: What Do I Want? (Leo Solo)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok we back with another Taekwoon pov chapter  
> alright so there is a lot of dialogue in this, like much more than i usually have that it may feel a little different from the usual style of this story but i NEEDED to get these feelings out and about and interacted so i could get to the actual fucking relationship and the actual relationship fucking, so i needed these bois talking it out  
> also i may have had too much fun writing the sister phone call in this chapter

Taekwoon was shaking.

 

 

 

 

It was cold.

 

 

 

Taekwoon was shaking and he was cold.

 

 

Taekwoon was shaking and he was cold and he was running.

 

And he was confused.

And he was walking and breathing hard and-

 

And

 

And

 

And gods he was so very confused.

How did this happen?

How had any of this happened?

How in the whole wide universe did this happen to him?

There were so very many people in the world.  In Korea.  In Seoul. 

There were so very many other people this could have happened to.

And yet it had happened to him.

 

It was late.

And cold.

Taekwoon sighed and looked around trying to orient himself.

Find out where he had gone in his shear panic.

A few seconds were all he needed to realize that his body had automatically taken him towards the company.

Another sigh, this one thankful, and he kept going towards the company.

No longer running but at a deliberate and brisk pace.  Because the company was safe, barring the… incidents that had happened there earlier, and if there was ever a good place to get away and think it was going to be in that building.

Preferably in his studio.  With the door locked and no one else around. 

The walk was cold and quiet and he could feel his heart slowing down and his brain trying to follow it and-

And that was definitely his cell buzzing in his pocket.

With a shivering hand he pulled it out to check the caller.

 

It was a manager.

A brief prayer of thanks and he slid his thumb across the screen to answer.

“Taekwoon, where are you?”  Demanding but worried.

“I… almost at the company.”  He hesitated and focused on the way the air from his mouth came out in cloudy wisps as he spoke slowly.

“Why?” Still demanding.  Still worried. “It’s almost two in the morning.”

“I had something,” Focus on the wisps.  The way they would pool around his mouth as he spoke and break over his cheeks and caressed his ears before they cooled to the night air. “I needed to get it to the studio before I lost it.”

A sigh.  “Taekwoon, are you okay?”

“.”

“Taekwoon.”

“.”

“Tae-“

“I think I’m losing it.”  An admittance that the manager certainly didn’t know the full story of but they must have heard the chord of desperation in his voice.

“I’m sure you haven’t.” Soft and reassuring and suddenly Taekwoon didn’t want to be alone and suddenly he knew exactly what he needed to do.  “Just get something warm to drink once you’re at the studio, ok?”

An affirmative sound and he could hang up.

A few more minutes and the doors were in sight and it was hard not to rush for them.

-

It took two calls but finally they picked up.

“Woonie?”  Her voice came confused and sleep dowsed.

He made a small affirmative sound and took a sip of the coffee he’d made.

“It’s like two Tae, what-“ Suddenly she seemed more awake. “Are you okay?  Did something happen?”

“Noona,” Taekwoon breathed out once her barrage of near panicked questions ceased. “I really need someone to talk to.”

“Did something happen?”  She repeated.  He could hear fabric rustling, probably her getting out of bed, then a door closing.

“I-“  How was he supposed to answer that.

“Woonie?”  Even though she wasn’t whispering anymore it was the softest she’d spoken so far and Taekwoon slumped into his chair.

“I don’t know if it’s bad or not.” He said in a rush. “But I am very confused.”

“Well that’s nothing new really.” She joked, probably trying to calm herself down from the panic he’d caused by calling so suddenly and so early.  There was the sound of running water and clang of metal on metal.  And suddenly all Taekwoon wanted was to be in their childhood home drinking a late night cup of tea with his sisters , back when all he really worried about was his next match. “You get confused pretty often.”

He just sighed in response, half lost in the wish of going back in time before his life got complicated, and listened to her putter around for a few minutes before she sat.

“Now tell noona all about what’s got little Taekwoonie so confused.”

Usually such a teasing baby tone would grate on his nerves but tonight it gave him a welcome familiarity and enough of a grounding to speak.

So he told her everything.

Told her about the weird ball of stress and anxiety that had sat in his chest for weeks since he’d left home again, the way everything had felt a little weird for longer than some weeks, the way everyone got a little weird after a small accident a few days prior, and the confrontation, then the kiss.

Es.

The kisses.

And the running out.

And-

And she was laughing.

“Noooonaaaa.”  Taekwoon whined.

“I- I’m sorry,” She choked out around her laughs. “It’s just, just-“

“I didn’t call you to get laughed at, noona.”

“I know, I know,” It took some work but she seemed to get herself under control. “I just can’t believe unnie was right, and Sanghyuk, little baby monster maknae Sanghyuk was the first one to make a move.”

She burst into giggles and Taekwoon was again, very very confused.

“What do you mean unnie was right?”

“Yeah for sure I thought Wonshik would like give you a real face to face, non-song that he makes moon eyes at you while you sing, confession.  And mom was gunning for Hakyeon to eventually snap and like dramatically confess his undying love for you on an award show or something.” What the fuck. “But it was the maknae.  Oh man, unnie is gonna hold this over our heads for forever.”

“What the fuck?”

“Taekwoon,” She gave a fake gasp. “Language.”

“I don’t care about language right now,” Taekwoon said starting to feel a little hysterical. “Why have you guys thought of how or who out of my groupmates would… would _confess_ to **me**?”

“Seriously?” Now she seemed to be the one in disbelief. “Are you seriously asking me that?  Come one Taekwoon, yeah you’re a little slow on the uptake but it’s been years.”

“Years?”  He asked mystified.

“Years, we’ve known for years, it’s been obvious for years.  You’ve probably known for awhile and just didn’t realize it you dork,” Then her voice got conspiratorial. “Or maybe you didn’t want to realize it, because then you’d have to live with it and do something about it.”

They were both silent for a few minutes as her words sunk in.

Had he known?

Had he known that his group, his friends, had had _feelings_ for him for years now?

 

Maybe, maybe not for years.

 

But he’d, he’d had an inkling and he had ignored it.

Had ignored it because-

Because-

“It makes things complicated,” He finally broke their silence. “I don’t know what to do, what to say, what to feel.  **How** I feel.  I wish, I wish I could just ignore it.  I wish I could have just kept not _knowing_.”

“That wouldn’t have been fair to the others though, would it Woonie?”

“No,” Taekwoon sighed. “No it wouldn’t have.”

“And you can want to ignore it all you want, but you called me.”

“But I called you.”

“And I won’t let you ignore this.”

“And you won’t let me ignore this.”

More silence and Taekwoon ran a finger along the rim of his now empty cup.

“Sooo…”

“So?”

“Do you like at least one of them back?”

“I, I don’t know?”

“Woonie!”

“Noona!”

"Come on, they’re all pretty attractive.  And talented.  And care about you.  Just think about which of them you might like the most.”

“I don’t know!”  And now he was almost shouting.

“Just choose one!”  And now she was almost shouting.

“How could I pick just one of them!”  And that was definitely a yell, and it hung between them as he realized what he’d said.

“Oh my god.”

“Noona.”

“Oh my god!”

“Noona!”

“You can’t pick just **one**?”

“Noooonaaaa.”

“SPICY!”

“NOONA!”

“Who would of thought, our little quiet keep to himself Taekwoonie would want five men all to himself.”

“You’re the worst, I should have just called noona.”

“Yeah sure, and listened to her gloat for hours?” Taekwoon made a face that would have been bad too. “Nope, I was your best bet.  Unless you wanted mom to talk you through your potential orgy?”

Taekwoon nearly choked.

“No no, that NO!”

“See I was the only you could have called!”

“Why would you even say that though?” He whined.

“You’re the one who implied you wouldn’t be able to choose between five men, the only possible solution that I can see is that you get all five of them and live happily ever after.”

“Please give me something that sounds realistic?”

“Fine, you want advice?” He gave a pleading noise. “Man the fuck up and talk about it with them.”

Taekwoon made a louder, more disgruntled version of that pleading noise.

That was definitely not what he had wanted to hear.

“Yeah, Yeah I know, feelings are gross, and talking about feelings is even grosser.  But you have to Taekwoon.  You have to be an adult and talk with your group about how you all feel about each other or else nothing will get better and everything will get worse.”

It wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

But it was probably exactly what he needed to hear.

“Hide for tonight if you have to.  Talk to a friend who isn’t involved in the situation if you need to, go out and get something to eat.  Tomorrow do you day, then have that talk.  It’s for the best.”  She sounded decisive and confident, something all three of his sisters shared, and sometimes Taekwoon wished he had been more like his sisters.

“It’s almost four in the morning, I can’t go out, also everyone is probably asleep.”

“Fine, waste away in your studio until you have to start your schedule.”  Now she sounded exasperated and it was small recompense for the embarrassment of the last ten minutes. “Then Feelings Talk You And Your Romeos. Do. It.”

“Yes, noona.”  He sighed.

“Good night, Woonie.”

“Night.” 

Neither of them hung up.

“Thank you, for, for being here for me to talk to.”

“Of course Taekwoon.”

“Love you, noona.”

“Love you too, Taekwoon.” He was smiling. “Now let me go to bed and go get some of that dick.”

She quickly hung up laughing and Taekwoon was groaning in annoyance.

Family was the worst.

Taekwoon rested his head on the desk for several minutes, just trying to pull his thoughts together.

His sister was right, he thought looking once more at his phone.

He needed to do something about this before everything got worse.

He’d received a few texts and calls during the conversation and looked at them now.

Most of them were from Hakyeon and Wonshik and notifications from the group chat, there were two from the manager he’d spoken with saying that the choreographer for tomorrow had gotten a cold and most of their schedule had freed up. 

Which meant Taekwoon would stay in his studio for pretty much the whole day if he so chose.

His fingers hovered over the group chat notifications for a few moments before clicking on it and typing out his own message.

Once he was done he turned to the computer and keyboard.

Might as well get to work.

-

**Taekwoon (stop changing it):**

I don’t know exactly how I feel about this, but

I’m willing to try?

I don’t hate you guys, but I don’t know if I feel the same.

I want to find out though.

I’m going to be busy, but we’ll all talk later.

 

**-   Hidden Track: What We Are Now   -**

 

Taekwoon did manage to spend most of the day alone, or in the company of not one of the five people who was making his mind go round in circles.  There were times where he’d come into contact with one or more of the members but never all of them.

(And he was thankful, partially because it kept pushing whatever talk was going to happen to later and partially because he really didn’t want to have that talk at the company.)

So he was able to keep to polite nods and hurrying away, really only staying long enough to give an affirmative noise to Hakyeon asking if he was coming home that night.

And it was nice enough.

Allowed him to get his head on a little straighter.

Think about what he wanted to say.

Think about how it was kind of lonely without any of the others.

-

Walking in the dorm door, Taekwoon was met with silence.

Walking in further and Taekwoon was met with all five of the members sitting around the living room, Hakyeon squashing himself between Hyuk and Hongbin on one of the couches and Wonshik and Jaehwan sharing the other, leaving the chairs at the other end of the room empty and probably for him.

So he sat and waited.

And within seconds Hakyeon pushed at Hyuk’s side in some kind of urging.

“I’ve been told I need to apologize,” Hakyeon hissed and smacked him on the arm. “Jeeze, I want to apologize.”

Taekwoon raised an eyebrow.

“For kissing you like that.”  Hyuk clarified. “It was selfish and I did it without your consent, and I made you genuinely upset with it.”

He really did look sorry about the last part.

“More confused than anything.” Taekwoon mumbled and coughed a little at the awkward atmosphere.

No one said anything and it was honestly the weirdest thing about all of this.

How quiet the others were.

“I don’t like, that I don’t know how to feel.” Taekwoon said trying to just get this over with. “This is weird for me.  That any of you could have- could be…”

He trailed off unsure of what to say.

“Love,” Hakyeon said. “I told you I love you and I meant if Taekwoonie.”

Taekwoon had to blink at the intensity that radiated from him.

It was overwhelming.

“I have said it and you just didn’t realize, hyung.” Jaehwan whined. “You never realized.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You should be, hyung.” Jaehwan crossed his arms. “I’m too cute to pine.”

“I’d pine for you forever.”  Wonshik said.

“He would,” Jaehwan agreed. “It’s kind of disgustingly sappy.”

“I can’t just say that I like one of you,” Taekwoon said suddenly before they could go off on a tangent.  He needed them to understand. “I can barely get that any of you like me, let alone all of you?  And I don’t know if I really like any of you back like that.  But I, I want to find out?”

He sounded unsure.

He knew he sounded unsure.

Taekwoon was very unsure about what he wanted.

“So you want to try us out or something?  See who you like best?”  Hyuk asked with a tilt of his mouth that Taekwoon could see hidden disapproval in.

“No!”

They all leant back in shock by how loud he denied that.

“I mean,” Taekwoon tried again. “No, I don’t want to just try you all out.  I mean, I mean I think I could like you.”

He met Hyuk’s gaze and this time it was the younger that turned away with a light blush.

“All of you.”

He looked at each of them in turn; out of all of them it was Hongbin who met his gaze head on.

“So you’re saying you accept out feelings?” He asked and Taekwoon nodded hesitantly. “Even though you don’t know how you feel, you accept that we all want you.  Want to love you and be with you.”

Taekwoon could barely bob his head before Hongbin was speaking again.

“We want to touch you hyung, hold you and touch you everywhere and anywhere, anytime we want.  And we’re all going to want it.  Physically, hyung.”

Taekwoon squeaked and shrunk into his chair trying to get away from those words.

“It’s not like we just want to fuck you Taekwoonie.”  Hakyeon reassured him gently and pushing at the unaffected yet amused boy next to him.

“Well…”  Hongbin trailed off with a sweeping look of Taekwoon’s body that made him hunch back a little at the heated gaze.

“Hongbinnie!”  Jaehwan sounded shocked even though he was looking at Taekwoon with a similar gaze.

Taekwoon was starting to think this was a bad idea and he should have just moved into his studio and never come out except for performances and fan meets.

“I’m just saying it’s not a hypothetical here.  We all want Taekwoon-hyung in some way.  Fucking is going to be involved.  He needs to know that,” Taekwoon gave another small sound that felt large and chest catching and brought the attention back to him. “But there’s also a lot of feelings here, there’s love, hyung.” 

Hongbin smiled that dumb beautiful actor smile at him and it made him feel all weird along with what he’d said and made his face twist.

“Don’t make that face, hyung.  It’s not like we wanna gangbang your virginity.”

“Holy shit, Jaehwan, and you had the nerve to look at me scandalized.”

“He’s right though,” Wonshik spoke over the others and doing his best to meet Taekwoon’s, very nearly closed because it was obviously time for death to come for him, eyes. “We’ll take it slow.  Nothing you’d be uncomfortable with, hyung.  And certainly not sex so soon.”

“I would just like to say,” Hyuk raised his hand. “I’m not adverse to the devirginizing happening whenever you want.”

“Yah!  Han Sanghyuk!”  Hakyeon gave him a neck chop and looked ready to admonish him and Taekwoon was confused and tired and really wanted to go to bed and that was probably the only reason he said what he did.

“Why do you all assume I’m a virgin?”

“What?”

“I’m nearly twenty eight, of course I’ve had sex.”  Taekwoon said and he could feel that his face was flaming hot and it was definitely time to make an exit.

“Yeah but with like a guy,” Hyuk corrected himself looking around the room. “Guys.”

Taekwoon could feel his flush getting somehow hotter and he really really wanted to leave.

“Wait, wait, Woonie are you implying?”  Hakyeon couldn’t even finish his question and Taekwoon still had to look away in embarrassment.

Somehow that talk with his sister seemed easy in comparison to **this**.

“What! When?  Where? Who?  Why?”

“What do you mean why, hyung.”  Hongbin rolled his eyes. “The reason people have sex.”

“But why who and why not tell me-“

“Us.”  Hongbin chimed in.

“Sorry, us.  Why not tell us, Woonie?!”

“Good night.”  Taekwoon stood to go to his room when a voice stopped him.

“What, where are you going?”

“To bed?” He’d just said so. “I’m tired, this is… uncomfortable.  Good night.”

He turned and was stopped again by a different voice.

“You’re going to go to bed without giving your boyfriends a proper good night.”  Jaehwan was pouting.

Taekwoon tilted his head.

It was kind of cute, now that he was willing to let himself think that.

Cute enough that he took a few slow steps over and quickly gave him a peck on the side of his cheek, just barely touching the corner of his mouth. 

While he was there Taekwoon decided to live on the edge and leaned across Jaehwan to do the same to Wonshik, before straightening up and hurrying towards the bedrooms.

“Also,” Taekwoon stopped before fully making it into the hallway. “I didn’t agree to be boyfriends.”

If he’d of looked behind him he would have seen five shocked faces that were slowly melting into disbelief and determination.

But he didn’t.

Taekwoon just hurried to his room, shut the door, and finally **finally** laid down on his bed to finally **finally** get some sleep.

Those boys were weird, but it seemed like they might be his.


	6. Love and Desire, Side B: Interludes and Filler

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright friends, it's not as long as my usual chapters for the other 5 are (i think i averaged about 1k each) and all i can say is that i am a fool who started writing 2 or 3 new stories because i can't help myself and people inspire me too much, but here we are once more with the lads and their love for their taekwoonie

Hakyeon was almost in shock.

Wonshik and Jaehwan were fully there, both sitting still as statues in the aftermath of Taekwoon’s actions.

(Honestly how was one man so capable of being cute enough to stun the resident ‘cute master’ and hard rapper of their group?)

Hongbin and Sanghyuk were not in shock.

They were on either side of him, laughing at Wonshik and Jaehwan’s expressions.

(They were terrible terrible kids and Hakyeon had immediately regretted sitting between them earlier.  Partly because it was _them_ , which made it his responsibility to make them responsible for their actions, and partly because it put him on the couch furthest from where Taekwoon, who he was really starting to miss, would eventually sit once he got home.)

So Hakyeon was partly in shock but all the way to ecstatic.

Honestly, he felt like he could fly.

Almost exactly how he had felt the night before, finally confessing and having Taekwoon **understand** fully and truly what he was saying, what he meant, and finally finally getting to steal a kiss from those pouty lips.

Only this time wasn’t accompanied by the crashing feeling of after that kiss, when Woonie had wrenched himself back in shock and stumbled away from him and then out of the dorm like a frightened animal.

That was,     

 

well it was terrible.

Horrible.

The worst.

Hakyeon had been ready to cry then, okay he did cry for like maybe a minute before going inside to be told that Taekwoon had heard the others discussing him in the kitchen before running off.

(Hongbin in a show of smug compassion, that only he and Hyuk were able to produce with regularity, had reassured him that it wasn’t as bad as it seemed.

“His face was all shock and confusion.  No disgust.  Just panic.”)

And then he’d messaged and called and messaged and got nothing.

Not even a Message Read indication.

Then Wonshikkie called a manager and they called Taekwoon and he answered, and it was such a relief that Hakyeon was sure he’d aged at least three years from the stress and worry.

And hours later, when he was still half a being of worry, Taekwoon finally replied to the group chat.

It felt like a blessing from the heavens.

Taekwoon said yes and it made his heart feel like bursting into star fire.

(And damn if this wasn’t the best possible outcome.

One he hadn’t really let himself hope for because he wouldn’t have been able to take the heart break.

One where Taekwoon didn’t hate them, didn’t hate him, and agreed to give them a chance.

No he didn’t return their feelings; he seemed to not even understand why they had feelings for him.

And he probably didn’t even understand what **he** felt for them, but Taekwoon wouldn’t have said what he did, agreed to try this, if there wasn’t **something** there.)

Hakyeon had no intention of messing this up.

Of letting any of them mess this up.

Taekwoon was finally going to acknowledge the claim Hakyeon’d had on him for years.

(Jaehwan would still jokingly bring up the way Hakyeon had treated Woonie back when they were trainees.

That was to say the way he treated him now, sweetly and persistently and possessively.)

Dating way back to when they first met and Hakyeon had made the snap decision to pursue the younger.  Because there was something about him, something in the lazy disinterested, nearly disconnected, way Hakyeon’d seen him view the world with, that’d convinced him Taekwoon did need friendship and reliability.

That he’d wanted it.

And Hakyeon wanted him.

So he pursued and pursued and made a place for himself in Taekwoon’s life, hoping that he’d soon want him in return.

Hakyeon knew how to identify a good thing when he found it and he knew Taekwoon was great, that they would be great together.

And the first time Taekwoon had smiled for him, just for him, Hakyeon knew with certainty that they would be phenomenal.  Knew he wanted to secure ever single smile Taekwoon would ever form in his heart for safe keeping.  That he wanted to be the only one Taekwoon would smile for.

(He’d fought hard to earn those smiles.)

But that was unrealistic.

Taekwoon, with all his chic and cool exterior was kind and loving and had many people he cared for. 

And it was easy to accept sharing him with his family.  Hakyeon loved his own after all, people loved their families and their families loved them. 

It was harder to accept the others at first.

(Until they became family.)

Hard to deal with each new addition to the group of people Taekwoon knew and who knew him, who made friends with him by way of the same persistence that Hakyeon had.  But Hakyeon understood that he couldn’t be everything Taekwoon needed.

That was foolish.

No one person could satisfy all the social, emotional, and psychological needs of another. 

People needed networks.

Groups.

Circles of others who cared for them.

And when it came to Vixx they all cared for each other, very very much.

And Hakyeon trusted them to love and care for Taekwoon with him.  Trusted them not to mess this up.

He watched as Jaehwan and Wonshik shake off their shock as the other two still snickered at them, ok he trusted them not to mess this up too much.

(Because they really were terrible people sometimes, and not just Hongbin and Hyuk.

All of them.

They were terrible, loving men who didn’t want to share the man they loved with the world.  Barely wanted to share him with each other sometimes.  But the five of them agreed to not hurt each other, to not hurt Taekwoon, with how much they loved Taekwoon.

Agreed to let him choose if he wanted any of them.

There wasn’t a plan for him choosing someone else.

**Because he’d never be able to.**

Never find someone who cared about him nearly as much as any of them did. 

But then, he’d chosen all of them.

Taekwoon didn’t yet know what that would mean, but he had chosen them all.

And they weren’t going to mess this up.

Couldn’t.

Because now that he was theirs, they wouldn’t be able to let him go.)

-

Jaehwan had a secret weapon that none of the others had ever be able to, and no one who tried would be able to, compete with.

Cuteness.

That’s right Lee Jaehwan was the cutest bitch on the block, sure Hyukkie had been pretty adorable back when he was still their somewhat smol but not really maknae and Wonshik was pretty cute when he was scared of bugs.

BUT!

They had nothing on the natural and pure cuteness that Lee Jaehwan exuded from his very pores.

This of course had given him an advantage over the years in regards to one Jung Taekwoon.

Because, as they all knew, Taekwoon’s greatest weakness?

Kids, animals, coffee/food.

All very cute things.

Okay maybe coffee by itself wasn’t that cute, but when Jaehwan was the one drinking it?

Cute A F.

(Taekwoon was pretty cute drinking coffee too.  They were obviously perfect for each other. 

Two cute guys drinking cute coffee together cutely.

Perfect!)

And Taekwoon?

Entirely susceptible to Jaehwan’s cuteness.

So through competition and cuteness the two had bonded over the years.

And Jaehwan could happily say that Taekwoonie was most comfortable giving Jaehwan affection in public.  Would talk to Jaehwan on a casual and everyday basis.

He didn’t even have to just say it, because it was a fact.

A proven fact!

Taekwoon was willing to play with him and was even willing to instigate it on his own.

All because Jaehwan was relentlessly cute.

(And Woonie-hyung had grown more comfortable over all.

With the members, with the press, with fans. 

Everyone.

He was more willing to let them in, let the world in, and was blurring the lines of what he kept as Leo and Taekwoon, the public and the private, together.

But also he couldn’t resist how adorable Jaehwan was.)

Jaehwan could weaponize his cuteness to its fullest extent.

We’re talking pouting, playing, whining, grabby hands, kisses on the cheek at a rate he’d never unleashed on the older man before.

Aegyo full force.

Was it more a young idol’s game than someone who had five years under their belt?

Perhaps, but wow look at that Jaehwan was cute enough to get away with it.

And the best part?

Taekwoon was basically responding in kind.

To a lesser degree yes, but the man wasn’t nearly as outgoing as Jaehwan and really he was trying his best.  Which just made the short spurts of bright delight on his face when he would show that cute side to Jaehwan as sweet as spun sugar.

(Truth be told, it made Jaehwan want to wreck him beyond anything.  Wanted to pull soft and sweet smiles out of Taekwoon.  Wanted him to look at Jaehwan with that bright delight and sweet smiles and wanted him to want the same from him.  Wanted to see Taekwoon flushed over with happiness and afterglow from time spent with Jaehwan.)

He was also quite fond of Taekwoon’s delicately flushed face.

The perfect opportunity to see it arose when Jaehwan came home exhausted from a meeting that was half audition a few weeks before their comeback and all he wanted was to sleep sleep sleep.

He saw Taekwoon sitting on one of the couches, legs tucked under his body and back against the armrest reading, and his wants changed to sleep Taekwoon sleep.

Not necessarily in that order.

So he dragged himself to the couch, flopped down, and pushed his head into Taekwoon’s lap.

“Jaehwan? What are you doing?”

“Tired.  Meeting was too long and you’re comfy, hyung.” 

Taekwoon gently patted his head a few times in cautious comfort, a Jung Taekwoon specialty, before attempting to return his attention to his book.

“Nooooo,” Jaehwan grabbed the hand to put it back on his head and pouted up at Taekwoon. “Pats.”

It was a demand and it made Taekwoon smile, though he tried to hide it being his book.

But he started the gentle petting motions again, a steady and lovely soothing sensation.

If Jaehwan was a cat he would have been purring.

(He certainly felt like he’d gotten the canary.)

Of course it didn’t last for long, Taekwoon got lost in his reading and soon his hand was just rest on Jaehwan’s head and he squirmed and whined.

“Hyunnng, pats~”

“Hmm?  Oh, sorry Hwannie.”  He started back up and Jaehwan went limp in his lap again.

“Should be.  Wooni-hyung has to give Jaehwan pets and pats whenever he wants because he’s cute, it’s in the boyfriend rules.”

Taekwoon jerked his hand away and Jaehwan’s eyes snapped open to see he was flushing over and looking away from him.

“I didn’t agree to be boyfriends.”

“Almost boyfriends is almost as good as boyfriends,” Jaehwan said decisively. “Which we should be, because we love you and care for you and we’re cute.  **I’m cute**.”

“You are cute.”  It was a tiny whisper of a near confession, but it made Jaehwan’s heart skip beats like there was a double dutch competition in his chest.

“Yes,” He coughed out. “Good enough for now.”

Taekwoon nodded and his face lightened to a sweet baby pink along his cheek bones that made Jaehwan want things.

“You know what else would be good, hyung?” Taekwoon quirked an eyebrow at him. “Pats.”

He let out a fondly exasperated noise and put that wonderful hand back to Jaehwan’s head.

Yes pats were good.

Plenty for now and a very good start.

Although, he thought after about ten minutes time…

“Ah, hyung, you know you never gave Wonshik-hyung or me a real kiss.”

Taekwoon’s hand stilled again and Jaehwan puckered his lips up at the older man.

Taekwoon huffed at him again, never the less he surprised Jaehwan again by leaning down and softly pressing his lips to his.

Jaehwan slid a hand up and around his neck and held him there.

A solid but soft press together, not enough for Taekwoon to feel pressured or scared off the way others had, but present and with no expectations for more. 

Exactly the kind of kiss Jaehwan had known Taekwoon should have had before he was introduced to anything more intense.

He let him go with a satisfied smirk and enjoyed the sight of Taekwoon’s blushing face that he caused.

-

One of Wonshik’s favorite times was the few weeks right before comeback promotions started.  When they’d finished recording and editing and filming.  And it was just days that were filled with hours upon hours of practice and scheduling and last minute alterations.

It’s a flurry of activity that rushes past in a tightly held pattern of movements, right up to the mv dropping and the first live performance of a new title track.

Those days.

They’re some of Wonshik’s favorites.

Because it feels like everything they’ve been working towards, each and every comeback feels like something they work towards, is pulling together and finally becoming one whole piece.

Those days also leave Taekwoon unbelievably tired.

He’s bound to slump over where ever he stops having to move, can fall asleep as soon as his eyes close and he’s no longer panting from exertion.  Acting like any movement that wasn’t a part of choreography, and sometimes even those that were, were a hurdle that he could just barely make it over.

With no one or nothing hurrying him, Taekwoon’s movements were sluggish incarnate.

And when people talked to him, he was almost always blinking awake. 

Yawning around every other sentence of a conversation with eyes that were more likely to be shut than open, he was the picture of peace and rest that they all cooed over in their heads.

(Hakyeon did it out loud and it was occasionally tolerated because Taekwoon couldn’t find the energy to protest.  The stylists also did it out loud but they were allowed to because they were the stylists and you didn’t incur their wrath unless you wished for death in pastel and neon pattern mixing.)

Taekwoon lets them cuddle up to him just that much more than usual.

Lets people ruffle his hair and move him around to lean on them.

Lets them move into his space that much more with each comeback and doesn’t protest, much, when they stay there.  Lets them make a place for their selves in his life and lets them see more of the sweet gentle inner workings of his self and how they play against the impatient bluntly shy man he shows the world.

It makes for an intriguingly cute mixture of personality traits that left Wonshik with the desire to card his hands through the other’s hair and call him every endearment under the sun.

(Jung Taekwoon is basically adorable and the definition of soft.

A title Wonshik had had the pleasure of seeing Jaehwan take offense to the first time it was said, then acquiesce to as Taekwoon had stretched out on the long couch of a waiting room and make quiet little snuffling noises, like a baby animal trying to get comfortable, as he tucked his body into itself and settled into a doze.

“He’s so fucking cute, holy fuck.”  Jaehwan had immediately made his way to the sleeping man and draped himself over the other vocalist, who was too tired to do more than whine a little at the weight but didn’t move.)

All in all this meant that the late night Taekwoon Wonshik had gotten to know a few years ago, when it was just the two of them together for hours and hours and Taekwoon let Wonshik see him be lazy and soft and intense and sensuous with no barrier of others between them, shone through nearly 24/7. 

A tender lazy man who was just as likely to pat you on the face and tell you how important you were as he was to cling to a pillow and whine at the suggestion of getting up and moving.  Who was just as likely to cut a breath stopping look of pure sex towards someone at the drop of a hat as he was to force an hour’s more of practice till a movement or sound was just right.

Wonshik was delighted by the idea of getting to have this Taekwoon all to himself once more, with the loom of an LR comeback coming in the summer months to follow the one they were now mere days from.

“Ah hyung,” Wonshik waited till Taekwoon’s head lolled back and his eyes squinted open to look up at him, they were all nearly asleep in a van heading to the dorms for a few hours sleep. “I know it’s pretty much set in stone now but I just want to be sure, you do want to do an LR comeback right?”

Taekwoon’s eyes narrowed into a more pointed squint of assessment rather than tiredness, after a second or so he huffed out a sigh and opened his mouth.

“We haven’t even had our group comeback and you already want to think of one that’s like six months away?” Jaehwan cut in from the other side of Taekwoon before he could answer Wonshik.

Taekwoon didn’t take his eyes from Wonshik, though they did loosen a little, as he lazily tossed an arm against Jaehwan’s chest to get him to shut up and leaned himself heavily into Wonshik as though he was the only thing keeping him up.

“I’m fine with it,” He muttered against Wonshik’s neck. “It’ll be fun.”

“Good, good,” Wonshik could feel his face go a little warm and coughed lightly into his fist trying not to jostle the man against him. “Um, I maybe already have some ideas, and we don’t have to use all of them, and of course you get to put into whatever you want-“

“Shikkie,” Taekwoon pulled at his shirt with a firm tug to make him stop look at him. “It’s okay.  I trust you and you’re ideas.  You always write good songs for us.”

His lips curled up into that tiny soft smile that made Wonshik’s heart flutter and melt at the same time, before his eyes shut again and soon enough his breath evened out in sleep.

Wonshik pulled one of his hands into his own and let his head rest on Taekwoon’s.

Definitely the best part of comebacks.

-

By all accounts Hongbin’s personal philosophy stated that there was no need to play fair.

You take the advantages you get and use them to the best of your ability.

(Honbin’s best was very very good.

And his advantages?

Numerous.)

Which was why he felt not even a smidge of guilt over taking no small pleasure in getting more and more time with Taekwoon after their comeback than any of the others were getting.

Because there was already a set precedence for Taekwoon being near him, spending time with him.  Their long standing quiet corner of waiting rooms that had been providing Hongbin with being in a position to have the highly coveted sleepy and content Taekwoon all to himself for years.

Something that he would and did gladly take advantage of now.

He’d meant it when he told Taekwoon that they would want to touch him and be around him even more than they already were. 

That things between the six would be more intimate and loaded.

On Taekwoon’s side at least.

For the five of them, there had been a certain tension to interactions with their vocalist for years. 

The difference now being that Taekwoon was aware of it and acknowledged it.

At least sometimes he did.

Sometimes Taekwoon would meet Honbin’s eyes and his head would tilt slightly and his eyes lids would drop a little into a showman’s sultry look in response to the smirk Hongbin would meet his gaze with.

(Hongbin had no shame in being caught staring.

None of them did now that it wasn’t met with a bewildered squint and frown.)

Of course more often than not, after Taekwoon gave a heated look to match and return their own, he would drop his eyes to look away and flush over as though just realizing what he’d been doing.  Like he was embarrassed by what he’d done.

For all the ways he expressed himself and aggressive or playful actions he took, Taekwoon was still such a shy little boy at times.

(That made people fall for him just as easily as they did for his passionate and charged performances.)

It was a dichotomy of innocence and maturity that all idols dealt with in their careers.

One Hongbin himself was intimately familiar with, being one of the younger members of Vixx as well as being labeled the visual.

So he treads the thin line of beautiful and sexy and the flower boy image.

But it was so very entrancing to see play out in Taekwoon.

In Leo.

(With his neutral expression that lent his plump little cupid’s bow a disinterested curve that drew people to his stoic face, they came for the air of nonchalance that Leo gave off so very easily but they stayed for the moment that those eyes focused in attention and those lips opened to a wide smile of delight and embarrassed begging that was all Taekwoon.)

It made Hongbin want to see Taekwoon’s face light up in delight over puppies and burst into a flurry of cute actions of a game.

See him gently greet the children that they occasionally met and focus on food with an intensity that was all guileless desire to consume.

(It made Hongbin want to consume him.

Made him want to pull Taekwoon close and have him look at Hongbin with those cat sly eyes that were dark and lovely and capable of making someone lost in them, want to watch them flutter as Taekwoon shudders for a breath that Hongbin won’t let him take.

Because it would be oh so very fun to keep him strung out and guessing and dependant on Hongbin for direction.

He wants Taekwoon to lie on him, or underneath him because that would be a sight to see, and wants to place delicate and clear marks of passion and ownership on equally delicate and clear skin to the sound of high whimpers.

Wants to have him in his bed, or one of the others’ because the place didn’t matter to Hongbin, and wants him to be lost in what pleasure he was given.

Wanted to be the anchor to which Taekwoon clung.)

So Hongbin opens his arms invitingly before and after a show or an appearance, while they sit on a waiting room couch.

Watches as Taekwoon eyes the space, less suspiciously each time, before leaning a little in to his side and then slumped against him in his customary promotion exhaustion.

(The poor thing got tired so very easy between performances.)

So Hongbin pulls him in to rest against his body and tangles a hand into midnight dark hair, to hold him in place, to settle him further.  Moves his fingers in soft little swirls that hide the way they desire to clench into Taekwoon’s hair and bare his neck.

If Hongbin is still enough he feels Taekwoon’s breathing even out and watches as more often than not he drops into sleep curled at his side while the others don’t watch but do, with slight envy, that is entirely understandable because they all want a cuddling Taekwoon, but unbridled affection in their eyes.

(Jaehwan had said they were all almost boyfriends and Hongbin knew it was only a matter of time before Taekwoon elevated that statement or tore it down, so he was going to take every moment he could get of this.  Just in case he chose to break rather than make this potential relationship, and they were back to a platonic level of commitment.)

With a warm body tucked into his, Hongbin wants.

(Sometimes aches for with a gnawing hunger in his core.)

And what Hongbin wants, Hongbin gets.

Because Lee Hongbin didn’t need to play fair, he didn’t need to play at all really.

He and the others had already gotten what, who, they wanted and they weren’t going to give him a chance to get away.

-

Sanghyuk honestly loved watching the cat and mouse game that was the two oldest members of Vixx.

Hakyeon pursued.

Taekwoon retreated.

Hakyeon tempted.

Taekwoon took the bait and tried to run away.

Sometimes he succeeded.

And sometimes he was held down by the full body weight of a man who was absolutely in love with him and languishing in the purgatory of an almost there but not quite relationship, and who was only too delighted to show off all those feelings.

That is to say Hakyeon practically lays himself over Taekwoon any chance he gets, and this time Taekwoon is too tired to protest very much.

(Most of them are too tired now that they’ve reached the last week of the promotion cycle and the intensity is at its highest.)

This time Taekwoon just lets loose a few whining noises and small wiggles and unleashes pleading eyes at Hyuk, which is a mistake because Sanghyuk is infinitely amused by the way he still gets embarrassed by their leader’s need to cover and covet him.

And Hakyeon just coos over it all while trying to pat at Taekwoon’s cheeks.

“You’re going to squash him with love one of these days, hyung.”  He cheerfully tells the two of them from his own couch.

“You throw him around like a sack of rice, Hyogie.  You don’t get to have an opinion here,”  Taekwoon let out an annoyed sound and Hakyeon turned to look down at him placatingly. “A cute sack of rice, Woonie, one of the cutest.”

“Awww, but he fans love it,” Hyuk smiled suggestively at Taekwoon. “Starlights love it when hyung gets manhandled.”

Taekwoon groaned and pushed his face into the couch cushion to try and hide how red it had gone.

“Han Sanghyuk,” There was Jaehwan coming out of the kitchen to try and shame maknae kind. “Which of your hyungs are you talking about manhandling? Better not be me.”

Hyuk eyed the loaf of bread Jaehwan was holding while aggressively shaking his hand at him.

That was very threatening, wasn’t it.

“Taekwoon-hyung.”  He pointed at the man trying to bury himself in the couch.

Jaehwan peaked over the back of the couch and smiled down at the man he no doubt was thinking of as _their Taekwoonie_ before patting at his head a few times. 

“Oh, well that’s fine then,” He thumped Hakyeon with the bread and hurried back as the older man chased after him. “He is very easy to move around, and very cute about it too.”

Taekwoon obviously took this chance to escape and pushed himself up.

“I am taking myself to bed.”  He announced to them and made his attempt at escape.

“Hyung, is that any way to say goodnight to your almost boyfriends?”  Jaehwan called after him with a delighted grin on his face.

“No,” Taekwoon looked at him and gave an almost reluctantly squashed closed mouth smile and head tilt. “But it is exactly how I’m going to say goodnight to my boyfriends, please tell the others when they get home.”

Hyuk heard Hakyeon and Jaehwan gasp in unison from the kitchen, the Dramatic Duo™ back at it again, and there was an actual hitch in his own breath as he watched Taekwoon turn into the hallway.

(It had a little less to do with the declaration he’d made, because Hyuk had always had confidence that once he agreed to them even a little there was no chance he wouldn’t want to date them, and it had a lot more to do with the devious twinkle in Taekwoon’s eyes as he spoke. 

The shadow of a smirk that was tucked in the corner of his smile, like he knew exactly what he was causing with his words. 

The confident way he walked away from them.

The way he **knew** it was all going to fall away in a second and Taekwoon would be going into his room to panic at what he’d said, flustered and unsure and oh so worried, till he fell asleep.

Yup, Hyuk wanted that man.)

A few hours later, Sanghyuk was softly closing Taekwoon’s door behind him and letting his eyes adjust to the dim lighting being cast by a light outside the window that just barely glowed through the curtain and cast the room in a late twilight.

“Hyung,” He called out. “Hyung.”

The lump on the bed didn’t make a sound, so he crept closer and lifted the covers to slide in with Taekwoon.  A few seconds of pushing and pulling at him and soon enough Hyuk had Taekwoon on his side and had his arms around him when a soft and low groan made him aware the man was waking up.

“Who- Hyukkie?” Hyuk answered with a hum and pulled his back to his chest. “Sanghyuk, what are you doing here?”

It was a little clearer but still sleep dredged and low.

“I came to cuddle my _boyfriend_ , hyung.  Before anyone else got the chance or idea.”

“Ughhh.”  Taekwoon tried pulling away to groan into his pillow.

“You made Hakyeon-hyung and Jaehwan-hyung cry~” Hyuk said in a teasing tone and pulled his hyung as close as he could.

“Great.” And there was the near sigh of Taekwoon’s usual voice, perhaps lighter or airier than it would be if he wasn’t being cuddled in bed by one of his _boyfriends_.

“Wonshik-hyung was so close to crying when he got home after the hyungs called him with the good news,” He splayed one hand over Taekwoon’s waist then across his stomach and felt the way his breath hitched.  Sanghyuk buried a smirk into Taekwoon’s hair before he kept speaking. “Hongbin-hyung thought it was hilarious and probably would have kissed you if he’d been there.”

“Oh I absolutely would have.”

It came confidently from the doorway and when he peaked over his shoulder there was Hongbin closing the door and cutting Hyuk’s time alone with Taekwoon short.

(Not that he minded that much.

Hongbin was one of his favorite hyungs to play with and off of, especially when it came to teasing and playing with Taekwoon.

And he remembered to lock the door behind him, ensuring they wouldn’t be interrupted.)

Hongbin crossed the room much like he had and climbed over the two of them to squeeze between the them and the wall, tangling his legs with Taekwoon’s and brushing a hand against Hyuk’s arm as he settled it on the vocalist between them’s hip.

(And Taekwoon was going to need a new bed with how snug it was between the three of them because there was no way the others weren’t going to get in on the sleep cuddling action soon enough.)

“I’m never going to sleep alone again, am I?”  Tiredly, as though he’d already given up.

Which in Hyuk’s opinion was truly the smartest choice when it was one against a very determined five.

“Nope.”  The both happily replied to the man between them.

“I regret this already.”  Taekwoon sighed into Hongbin’s chest.

Hyuk loved hearing that sigh of acceptance and he loved the man it came out of.

“Too bad, hyung,” Hyuk met Hongbin’s eyes over Taekwoon’s head and could see the same determination reflecting in them as he felt. “Now that you’re ours, we’re never letting you go.”


	7. Here, Side A: These Feelings You've Caused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cough* umm so Hongbin is a pain in the ass to write from Taekwoon's pov when i want to write what i specifically wanted to write for them *cough*  
> anyways i just want you all to know that at this point we're all friends and i will gladly yell at any of you about my thoughts and plans for this, am i gonna give this at least a oneshot sequel once we're done? hell yes because Touch and Sketch had me SHOOK AF with those lyrics and visuals, if you want to come at my inbox here or on the tumblr

Taekwoon had been correct when he’d guessed that he’d never sleep alone again.

Every single night it was possible, he wound up in bed with at least one of his… boyfriends.

(He’d been the one to define it but it still felt awkward in his mouth and in his brain to call them that.)

Most often it was with Hakyeon, Hongbin, or Hyuk.  Partly for the fact those three managed to be home around the time that Taekwoon was going to bed, Wonshik was almost always exempt from this considering how much time he spent in the studio, and partly from sheer force of their will to be in his bed.

Jaehwan, though, seemed to not mind very much.

If for no other reason than that he seemed particularly fond of finding Taekwoon at any time of the day and cuddling up to him for a nap.

More often than not, Taekwoon would find himself blinking into consciousness with the feeling of being held down.

Jaehwan had a penchant for laying on top of Taekwoon.  If he could, his arms would be wrapped around his waist or hips, sometimes so tightly it felt like he was trying to kill him through constriction, and his head would be planted into Taekwoon’s abdomen or back.

There had been a few times he’d woken to the younger man nuzzling his head into one of the cheeks of his ass or fondling it.

Taekwoon was not sure how to feel about this.

(The first time it had happened he’d nearly had a heart attack and shoved himself away from Jaehwan, only to fall off the waiting room couch and onto the floor.

And Jaehwan had just laughed at him all while telling him how sweet and cute he looked when he was asleep and how comfy he was.)

This time he woke up on one of the living room couches with a body pressing down on his legs and a chin digging into the small of his back.  Taekwoon let out a whine and the chin pushed in farther as Jaehwan let out a laugh that vibrated along his spine.

“Woonie-hyung.”   Jaehwan nearly sang out to him, pushing himself up to drape across his back and sitting on the rise of his butt.

Taekwoon shifted and a noise of discomfort made its way from his mouth at the way his legs tingled.  They’d obviously fallen asleep with Jaehwan’s weight on them, so he tried moving again.  Ignoring the way fingers skipped along his sides, Taekwoon grimaced as the feeling of pins and needles intensified and shifted his elbows under his chest. 

Ready to lever himself up and tip Jaehwan off of him.

Suddenly a pair of hands settled on his shoulder blades and there were lips against his ear.

“Hyung,” That sing song voice breathed into him and a light wash of goose pimples broke out on his arms. “Are you ignoring me?”

Jaehwan’s voice had dipped down to a lower register and his hands pressed up by the heel of his palm till his fingers curved over the edge of Taekwoon’s shoulders. 

“Jaehwan.”  It was supposed to be a warning, but came out in a mumble as his body flushed into alertness and the tingling in his legs intensified.

After a few moments of neither moving, Taekwoon gave a small shake of his head.

Fingers spread out and clenched against his shoulders a few times before disappearing along with the weight across his lower back.

“Good!”  Suddenly cheerful, Jaehwan slipped off of him and to the side onto the floor.

Taekwoon could move.

Taekwoon could breath.

Pushing himself up on shaky arms he looked to the side with a frown and was met with a delighted wide grin and a heavy dark gaze that was sharp and open and held a tint of the same deepness that had been in Jaehwan’s voice.  And it twisted in Taekwoon’s gut as the cheerful curl of his smile and the promising wrinkle of his eyes met to pull the air from his lungs.

He lowered himself back down, nearly collapsing into the couch and blew out a shaky breath into the cushion.

Okay, Taekwoon could maybe breathe.

Jaehwan laughed at him and then there was a flare of quick sharp tingling as he brought his hands down on Taekwoon’s ass a few times before moving away.

Okay, Taekwoon pushed himself up with a glare, he could breath and he was going to kill Jaehwan.

-

Sometimes it felt like there were layers to every interaction with Hongbin.

That Taekwoon needed to be at his sharpest to peel back every strip of a conversation, analyze every twitch of movement and fleeting touch.  That it wasn’t enough to recognize the emotions and intent in his eyes, but the order in which they appeared and the ratios between them were just as if not more important. 

Hidden meaning and messages in his words and looks.

Other times Hongbin was explicitly blunt about what he meant.  What he wanted.  What he expected from those around him.

Most of the time, the two occurrences mixed together and people were left with the enormous undertaking of deciphering just which was which.

Of course the only ones who even knew that this was something that had to be done were the people closest to Hongbin.

So Taekwoon could say he was rather proficient at unraveling the words within words that Hongbin spoke.  The underneath of the underneath from his looks, and _looks_ , and the implications of the summation of his actions.

And yet, Taekwoon was having a hard time understanding exact what was the motivation behind Hongbin’s latest habit of feeding him.

He wasn’t complaining about it by any means.

Taekwoon was well known for his appetite and enthusiasm for food.

He knows that he goes into a certain kind of focus when there is food around, single minded and intent and uncaring of those around him. 

(His body burned through calories at a fairly fast enough pace, and Taekwoon led an incredibly active lifestyle, that when combined with his fluctuating stamina was the cause for his ability to eat as much as he wanted or sleep at any suitably peaceful minute of the day.  This did not mean that he was exhausted or hungry all of the time, Taekwoon would never go hungry of that he was sure, just that he would never turn down an opportunity to build up his energy reserves.)

And Taekwoon knows Hongbin well enough to be confident in his assessment that Hongbin was taking advantage of that fact.

Taekwoon was quite sure it started with Hongbin eating candies after a show.

Taekwoon just getting his breathing under control with eyes closed and head tilted into the back of a chair, and there was a tapping to his face.  Deliberate enough for him to turn and look at the cause, and there was Hongbin.

Holding out one of the gummies he’d been chewing through to Taekwoon’s lips, an expectant look on his face. 

Thinking nothing of it at the time Taekwoon had opened his mouth, Hongbin had slipped the gummy past his lips, and that had been the end of it.

Until the next day when they were all sharing a sleep drunk early morning meal before a radio broadcast, and Taekwoon was nearly asleep in his rice, when a weight appeared on his shoulders and then there were chopsticks holding chicken to his mouth.

And under Hongbin’s gaze Taekwoon ate it and the other pieces of food he held out to him.

It became a thing.

Hongbin would find him locked away in practice room, hand him a bottle of water and apple slices that he’d watch him eat.

Hongbin would drag his fingers through Taekwoon’s hair with one hand and watch him take chips from the fingers of the other.

Hongbin would drag him out for a late night meal, that Taekwoon usually paid for, of noodles or meat and he’d watch as Taekwoon ate a portion and a half.

Hongbin would slip into Wonshik’s studio as they argued over notes and he’d press between them, push a sandwich into Wonshik’s hands and push a sandwich into Taekwoon’s mouth.

Hongbin would sit in on fittings and feed him grapes around the stylist.

Hongbin would huddle next to him in one of their beds to push spoonfuls of ‘don’t tell the others’ cake into his mouth and brush the crumbs away with his thumb, and lick away the occasional bit of frosting.

And when Hongbin isn’t the one feeding him he watches.

And when Hongbin brings him food but let’s Taekwoon eat if of his volition he watches.

(And the idea that Hongbin is **letting** him feed himself is a weird shoulder shifting finger twitching feeling that develops the longer this goes on, and Taekwoon really wishes he minded very much, and Taekwoon finds he doesn’t mind very much.

Which is the kind of revelation that he pushes to the back of his mind and decidedly does not think about.)

No matter whose hand is attached to the food going in his mouth, Hongbin watches.

Intense and sharp attention, detail oriented in his search of Taekwoon’s reactions.  Lazily and through barely open eyes, assured and confident in what he’s brought him to eat.  Attentive and absent minded.  Sometimes changing in the seconds it takes for a piece of chocolate to melt on Taekwoon’s tongue, sometimes staying frozen in the hours of a shared meal.

(The one constant being a hunger that had taken Taekwoon a few months to truly grasp the reality of.

A hunger that had felt overwhelming and wholly dangerous to acknowledge, as though it would invite that hunger to come out out out to the forefront and consume him.)

It doesn’t come from a place of trickery or deviousness, well maybe not _ill_ intended deviousness this being Hongbin after all. 

There’s a certain kind of caring underneath it all, when he peels back those layers of intention, which makes a small part of Taekwoon sit up and enjoy the attention.  A certain desire underneath it all that makes another small part of Taekwoon sit up and be very unsure but cautiously accepting of the attention.

Does that scrutiny and focus from knowing and certain eyes cause a certain kind of itch underneath his skin?

Yes.

But it doesn’t make Taekwoon uncomfortable.

-

Taekwoon is a little tired and he’s barely listening.

He knows Wonshik will probably say it all again, and again and again, later on, because he loves his music and he loves talking about it.  But it’s been nearly two days of holing up together in the final days before submitting the finalized versions of the LR tracks, and Taekwoon had a shower about an hour ago, the steam warmth sticking to his skin, and Wonshik has a liking towards dimly lit rooms with computer screens set to a low brightness, he says it’s soothing, and Taekwoon is sleepy enough he can feel his eyes dropping.

He abandons hope of watching whatever it is on the monitor and tries to just focus in on Wonshik, hoping to not fall asleep on him, and the animation of his face as he speaks.

Lips curling and baring teeth as he tries to speak around an excited smile.  Eyes bright and earnest and darkly reflective as he looks between Taekwoon and his computers.  Body open and relaxed and facing Taekwoon like it was drawn to him even as his attention is pulled in the direction of his sound files.

Face bare of makeup and jewelry, but Taekwoon can’t help but think that he glows in the light of his own production with neon violet highlighting him from behind like a sainted halo.

When he looks at Taekwoon there’s always a smile on his face, he’s so happy to have him there, and Taekwoon feels his own lips pull into increasingly drowsy happy upturns in exchange.

Then Wonshik leans in close and to say something, looking wholly triumphant and pleased, and he puts a hand on Taekwoon’s thigh.

And the muscle twitches and his chest warms over and-

“Oh.”

Wonshik stops talking at the quiet word and tilts his head at him in the form of a question.  Taekwoon opens his mouth and for a second had no idea what to say.

“You’re pretty.”  He finally says, hoping it will convey enough of what he means.

Wonshik lets out a huffy laugh through his nose and pats Taekwoon’s thigh, “Not as pretty as you, hyung.”

Oh.

“Oh.”  Another laugh and Wonshik says oh back in a teasing tone, then turns his head back to the monitor and starts clicking through files.

Taekwoon watches him and thinks of the warmth in his chest, “Wonshik.”

“Hmm.”  He doesn’t look at him.  Taekwoon puts one of his hands over the one still on his leg and uses the other to turn his head towards him as he leans in.

“Wonshik,” Taekwoon very softly presses a gentle kiss to the other man’s lips, and whispers between them. “I think you’re pretty.”

Wonshik blinks rapidly at his words, at his actions, and Taekwoon is satisfied enough to let go of his face and tries to look at the screen he’d previously been able to focus on.

Tries to.

Because now there is a hand on his cheek, keeping his head from turning, and eyes as dark as fresh brewed coffee staring into his with determination.  A little pull and then-

“Not at pretty as you, hyung.” 

And then there are lips on his.

First as gentle a press as his own had been, slowly building until they are pressing pressing against his own and there is a hand sliding up his leg and over his hip to his waist before settling against his back.

Pulling him close, reeling him in until their knees knock and the hand on his cheek goes to his neck and then both hands are pulling him forward with enough force to make Taekwoon gasp.

Then there is a tongue licking into his mouth.

Like Wonshik is trying to taste ever corner of it.

Meeting his own in something like a caress, as a thumb settles under Taekwoon’s jaw and a palm tilts his head for a better angle.

And it’s better.

A natural slotting, that wasn’t there before, of their mouths as Wonshik pulls Taekwoon up out of his chair and hunching over him all while maintaining control of the kiss.

It has just been all one continuous kiss.  That they eventually have to break for air far too soon for Taekwoon’s taste.  Because Taekwoon feels like he’s breathless, panting coming from Wonshik’s mouth too, but instead of air he just wants more.

Then that mouth is pressing wet and hot against the underside of his jaw and up to his ear and down his throat.  And every touch of lips against his skin sparks at Taekwoon at his eyes flutter closed at the feeling.

Makes him push into it and want.

Teeth just barely scrape against him and Taekwoon feels the high whimper leave his mouth.

Then everything stops.

Confused when Wonshik doesn’t move, he forces his eyes open to look down at him.

Wonshik’s own eyes are blown wide and his mouth is slightly open and when their eyes meet he lets out a gush of air that becomes a soft quick ‘oh’.

Just as Taekwoon makes up his mind to put their lips back together, Wonshik pushes them both up and out of his chair.  Pulls Taekwoon by the waist and the neck over and pushes him down into the couch, then climbs on top of him. 

One knee planted between Taekwoon’s legs, a hand next to his face and the other just to the side of his chest.

Face half shadowed dark half bright lit, eyes glittering as they squint down at him.

The slow easy tilt of his lips, like he’s discovered a secret and can’t wait to share, is what makes Taekwoon’s chest tighten with anticipation and he feels like there’s someone trying to punch their way out of his heart.

Then.

Then there is that mouth.

Again on his neck.

More teeth, more lips.

Dragging down his throat with an astounding gentleness, top lip soothing after the rough slide of bone edge, from jaw to collar to adam’s apple.

Wonshik is the definition of thorough as he never presses too hard or too soft in his movements as he makes parallel tracks up and down.  Pausing every few times to nip at the hollow of Taekwoon’s throat, again not too hard but persistent and cleverly.  Tongue swiping across pinch warm skin, leaving it to cool in the air.

And Taekwoon’s hands have somehow made it to Wonshik’s back.

Pushing down, pulling him in, pulling him closer, wanting more.

He is gasping.

Gasping, and stuttering out breaths around whines and he wants.

And Wonshik’s hand presses into his waist, almost holding him down, as he lowers himself onto Taekwoon.

There is a brush and a pressure and Wonshik moans into Taekwoon’s throat and it reverberates through him, pushing a high needy sound out of his mouth that would have had him flushing with embarrassment if his face wasn’t already lust warm. 

And Wonshik bites into his clavicle, a real true bite into the taunt skin of his body, and grinds down and-

Knocking comes from the studio door.

They both freeze.

A voice crackles through door intercom speaker on Wonshik’s desk.

“Wonshik?” It’s one of their managers. “Wonshik, are you in there?”

A few moments of static.

“I need to know if Taekwoon is with you, we have a meeting and he’s not answering his phone.”

They stare at each other and Wonshik finally drops his head with a sigh and strains to reach the speaker before getting up and hitting a button to reply.

“Yeah, we were going over some pitch alterations,” His voice sounds breathy and Taekwoon pulls himself up. “Lost track of time, he’ll be out in a sec.”

Taekwoon does his best not to look at him and he tries to brush the wrinkles out of his shirt.

They almost-

Oh gods, they almost-

He shivers and tries to will his blush away as he turns to look for his phone.

It doesn’t work because there is Wonshik, holding his phone and a jacket, and it just makes his face light up with embarrassment as he takes his phone and shoves it into his pocket.

“Here,” Wonshik thrusts the jacket at him. “For your, uh.”

He clears his throat and there’s just a hint of pink flushing over his face, but his eyes are laser focused on Taekwoon’s neck.  He steps forward and presses the jacket into Taekwoon’s hands.

It’s light enough that it probably wouldn’t cause questioning if Taekwoon wore it, so he slides it on and shrugs a few times to get it settled across his shoulders correctly.

Wonshik reaches forward and pops the collar up, hiding most of Taekwoon’s neck from view and his eyes open in understanding, then he hesitates before setting a sweet kiss to the corner of Taekwoon’s mouth.

Taekwoon leaves Wonshik’s studio with mumbled ‘sorry’ to his manager and a blushing face tucked into light cotton that smells like Wonshik’s cologne.

-

The problem, Taekwoon decides as he’s pulled into a firm chest and held there by steady arms, is that Sanghyuk has truly become far too used to moving Taekwoon around.

Worse still, Taekwoon was in a state of reoccurring realization that he didn’t mind being moved around by Sanghyuk that much.

(It was probably the piggy back riding that had tipped the scales in his mind during those days of promotions.

If he concentrates, Taekwoon can still feel the way muscles would move under his hands.  The way Hyuk’s hands would hold iron band tight to his thighs to secure him as he hauled Taekwoon around like he was weightless.  The worst moments being when Hyuk would hitch him up higher with a shove and his hands would tighten and not seem to let loose as he ran around.)

And Sanghyuk seemed to realize it, because all too often he looks at him with a near adoring look and softly, so softly, will push him where he wants him and sidle up in move that should be all sleaze or humorous but is too genuine to be anything but frustratingly endearing.

(It so very clear that Hongbin has taught him the devious art of subtly, and that is perhaps the most terrifying of the realizations Taekwoon’s been having lately.)

And Taekwoon thinks, ‘oh no, what have I gotten myself into?’ with a despairing frequency.

And Hyuk looks at him as though he can read Taekwoon’s mind and he makes that expression that’s somewhere between delight and smug and affectionate, that makes him look older and self assured.

But there are still times when he has all the unfettered excitement and happiness of the puppy like maknae he was when they first debuted.  When Sanghyuk is all close eyed smiles and humming joy and Taekwoon just wants to pat his head and tell him he’s adorable.

Times like when Taekwoon is signing the last of what felt like an endless pile of documents from a day of near endless meetings, all so he can devote as much time as possible to The Last Kiss rehearsals, and Hyuk slips into the small office room he’s been stuck in for hours.  Edges his way to Taekwoon’s side and hooks a chin over his shoulder to feign interest at what he’s filling out.

“Hyung.”  Its whisper quick, like Hyuk doesn’t want anyone to overhear him.

Like it’s a word he only wants Taekwoon to hear.

Taekwoon hums and flips to the next page.

“Hyuuung.”  Drawn out and rumbling through his throat and against Taekwoon’s shoulder.

Taekwoon’s mouth tightens and he squints at the X-marked places that require his initials.

It’s silent for a few more minutes and then his chin is digging into his shoulder and Hyuk lets out a whine, that’s all Hakyeon and Jaehwan taught, in search for attention as Taekwoon tries to shake him off and tries to finish filling out the last few pages.

Hyuk just presses in closer against his back and repeat himself again and again, and sometimes it’s hard to forget that any of them forget he’s the youngest, and after several minutes of this Taekwoon finishes.  He taps the papers together and stands, Sanghyuk rising smoothly with him and keeping near flush to him as they walk towards the door.

He reaches around Taekwoon to put a hand on the knob and for just a second he’s caging him in, and it takes Taekwoon back to months ago in his little studio, before he’s sliding around him and holding the door open.

“Hyungie, Daeguni Hyungie,” Taekwoon flushes as he pushes past him and Hyuk’s smile grows razor sharp and holds promises promises. “We should walk home together.”

It’s an upbeat suggestion that is in direct contrast with Taekwoon’s desire to maybe squirrel himself away in his studio and play with music for a few hours, but-

There’s that shadow of earnest affection his eyes, and there’s the swoop of warmth in his chest.

Taekwoon sighs and nods his head.

And just like a switched flip any trace of the near serious slick look, that made Taekwoon’s gut clench at random times, disappears and he bounces after Taekwoon as he drops off his paperwork with a sweet sweet smile, that also makes Taekwoon’s gut clench, stretched across white white teeth.

(And sometimes Hyuk looks brighter and bigger than life and it makes Taekwoon proud and wary and just a little dumb struck around the man who takes pure delight in pushing him around.)

As they leave the company building behind, Sanghyuk slings an arm over his shoulders and starts a lazy pace to the dorms.  Telling Taekwoon about the way Hongbin’s been going crazy over a new mobile game and how Wonshik’s letting him work on some beats in his studio.

And there’s no put on air between them, no cameras to capture their dynamic and no judging eyes.

It’s just all Sanghyuk, happy to be with Taekwoon, and Taekwoon, happy to be with Hyuk.

And Taekwoon thinks he could stand dealing with all the manhandling and pushing in the world if he gets to be this kind of happy as often as possible.

-

It’s barely five in the evening but, alone and with the drone of the TV, it feels like the late nights they shared as trainees and freshly debuted idols.

(The TV at a higher volume than it ever would have been back then, but there was no one to wake up this time.)

Taekwoon and Hakyeon, sitting together, watching some mindless drama that probably had more effort put into the soundtrack than the actual show.  And Taekwoon is tired, always tired, barely able to focus on what’s playing out on screen or whether Hakyeon is speaking to him or to the characters’ poor life choices. 

He’d come home feeling so very tired but with a bubble of jittery energy trying to blow itself up in his chest leaving him near anxious, like a child zealously blowing up a cheap balloon waiting for it to pop.  Something about the false starts of practice and the surrounding people he didn’t know at rehearsal making him feel uneasy and quiet. 

Too many unknowns leaving him exhausted.

There was just something about interacting with so many people Taekwoon didn’t know, all on his own with none of the people he trusted, that took it out of him.  The social element tied to performing almost always was more draining than any of the physical ones. 

(And this was a performance no doubt.  As an idol anything Taekwoon was part of, Leo was part of, was going to be scrutinized by thousands of people and sometimes the only way to rationalize that was to treat nearly everything that wasn’t **private** as a performance for the public.)

In some ways it left him wishing they could just jump right into full rehearsals, but he understood the need to ease into it.

To get to know each other, how people moved, their acting techniques, how blocking and staging would flow and if it would feel natural.  To see just how much acting would need to go into the relationships they were portraying and how much could rely on natural chemistry.

It was tiring but kind of fun in a way that idol performances rarely were.

(There was always the undercut of keeping in idol character while portraying specific qualities and scenarios fans came to expect.  Whereas, in the musical Taekwoon didn’t have to be anyone but his character as fully as possible.)

To be put through the paces of expressing and memorizing.  Learning who his character was and how they would walk and talk and feel.  How they would move their face and emote. 

A very different experience from Vixx performances.

It was truly something he enjoyed, but it did leave Taekwoon feeling a little lost.

How was he supposed to the other cast members without sounding weird, was he too quiet for the theatre crowd, was he the right decision for this part? 

His thoughts had been going going going as he’d made his way home and then there was Hakyeon, sitting on one of the couches, watching some show.  And he was pure open delight at seeing Taekwoon and soft firm hands pulling him down to the couch and next to him.

Just like that, an arm casually slung across the back of the couch and the other animated as Hakyeon talked, Taekwoon could feel that bubble deflate.

Slowly and silently, as Hakyeon filled the air between them with his words and fluttered mindless touches to his arms and legs.

And Taekwoon had it in him to peer at Hakyeon through his lashes.

His eyes tired tired but feeling a soft light comfort wash over him at the ease and familiarity of the moment.

And some six year puzzle clicked into place in his brain at the way soft yellow light from the kitchen deepened the highlights in Hakyeon’s hair and clashed with the blue tint led’s of the TV across his skin, and his eyes were that forever soft when they glanced at Taekwoon.

Okay.

The next time Hakyeon gestured towards him, Taekwoon caught the hand in his and laced their fingers together.

Hakyeon froze.

Wide eyes focusing blunt force sharp on him.

And Taekwoon couldn’t help the smile on his lips as he dropped into the open space of Hakyeon’s side that had always been open for him. 

Warm and easy and waiting.

(Full of shared night time insecurities and solid support.

Thrusted upon friendships, that seemed like a burden because he didn’t know exactly how to reciprocate affection like this and too much of it had made him uncomfortable at first.

A happy smile that wore down any defenses Taekwoon may have had, through stubbornness and time and consistent consistent smothering that felt like love personified on lonely days when his insides felt like stone and he couldn’t form emotions.

Arms that pulled and pushed at him and let a select few of others pull and push at him.

A voice that teased him and cajoled him into things he didn’t know he could do or ever wanted to do.

Someone who for some reason it was hard to capitulate to and understand sometimes, but always came back always tried to settle with.)

Hakyeon let out a noise that was part squeal part coo and full of affection, and Taekwoon closed his eyes with a huff into his shoulder.

Hakyeon’s arms closed around his shoulders and gave a squeeze to his hand.

Taekwoon’s eyes dropped and he didn’t feel the same kind of tired but just as sleepy.  A free and soft comfort filling his chest as his head rose and fell with Hakyeon’s breathing lulled him to sleep.

Okay, he decided, this was definitely okay.


	8. Here, Side B: So Good (Hongbin & Hyuk)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE HERE  
> i know i know it's been so long, and for that i am sorry but i started a fic or two and i had 2 holiday exchanges i was working on (one only turned out to be a couple thousand words and the other turned into a nearly 12.5k monster because i'm terrible at not falling in love with my own plots)  
> BUT WE HERE NOW AND I BRING YOU THE SPICY CONTENT  
> thank you to everyone who's commented and kudos'd and bookmarked and subscribed  
> it does my hort good to see people liking my works  
> Happy Holidays everyone~~~~  
> and to Nubia, you was right it's the impatient maknaes who get here first

Hongbin and Sanghyuk had spent many many years together.

Learning with each other and from one another.

As the two youngest they had grown used to being placed together, which was perhaps the biggest mistake anyone had made because they knew exactly how powerful they were together.

(Powerful being  **exactly** the word to use when describing Lee Hongbin and Han Sanghyuk when they were set on doing or getting something either individually or together.)

So when it had been months after the ‘official’ beginning of their relationship with one Jung Taekwoon and there was evidence of desire but no acting on that desire, they had a moment of communication where it was clearly conveyed they would do the acting because one Jung Taekwoon had a horrible history of taking charge.  

And besides Hyuk and Hongbin together?  

An unstoppable force that would gladly meet with the immovable object of their boyfriend inability to convey what he wanted.

(Want was there.

Oh was it there.

Hongbin saw it in the way Taekwoon would look at him, all lipid eyes and searching expressions, trying to figure him out.  Succeeding most of the time, and giving into his unspoken demands.

Hyuk felt it in the way Taekwoon would fall under his touch, project complacency even as he denied the maknae’s right to direct him.  Struggle as a token effort that lessened more and more by the day.

All five of them were now aware that this was something Taekwoon wanted, that there were emotions that they had long since realized bubbling up in him.

He would whine for their attention and continue once he got it, so easy to see that he himself was unsure of what he wanted from beyond the fact that he  _ wanted _ .  

And they all wanted in return.

Wanted to love him and cherish him and keep him theirs alone.)

The two youngest were aware that if it was left up to Taekwoon, again, then nothing would happen just for the fact that he was terrible at pushing something forward.

There would be years more of gradual progression.

Neither of them were keen on waiting that long to eat the cake they now had, so they’d decided to take matters into their own hands.

(This wasn’t much more than deciding to wait for a clear moment in schedules and basically ask Taekwoon if he wanted to have sex.  A simple straightforward plan that could in no way fail.)

The perfect opportunity arising when The Last Kiss ends its run and Taekwoon has nearly a week of free time in his schedule.

(They’d all come together the night before to congratulate him on a solid run and had stayed up fairly late into the night till most everyone begged off to catch what little sleep they could before their days started.)

Hongbin and Hyuk both had pushed as much of their work into the morning as possible and had managed to get off around mid afternoon.

Returning home to a near silent dorm.

This would have perhaps been an upset to their plan if not for the bundle of blankets on the couch with a dark glossy head of hair fluffing from one end with the tv on a low setting.

The lights were off but everything was lit with orange and red soft light from the setting sun coming in through the balcony windows, fuzzing the boundaries of patterns it touched, contrasting the artificial light from the television and throwing deep shadows where neither reached.  

Hongbin watched the rise and fall of the blankets and slowly picked out the hints of Taekwoon that he could see.  The edge of a forehead, fingers clutching at fabric, a knee poking over the edge of the cushion. 

Little bits and pieces of Taekwoon to study and covet.

Hyuk listened to the soft murmur of voices and the puffs of air that escape Taekwoon as he slept, unknowing of what waits for him.  

And Sanghyuk wants to cover him in his arms and feel that air across his chest, have him there oh so willingly.

A sudden shrill noise made them both jump out of their observations.

A groan and arm were all that came from the pile of blankets at the sound.

The arm fumbled for a phone, pulling it into the blankets and soon the alarm cut off.

Slowly slowly they watched as fabric parts and Taekwoon emerges from his cocoon, blinking sleep from drowsy eyes and tongue peaking out to wet dry lips after a yawn.

Like watching a moon rise infused with kitten soft affection to fill their hearts.

And both enjoy the scene of Taekwoon blinking at them with sleep still fogging his brain as they move around him like the moths they were to his candle fire.

“Hyung, have dinner with us.”  Hongbin said as soon those eyes lit up in recognition of who was in the room.

Taekwoon made a confused noise and his face did that thing where he was still waking up and wasn’t quite paying attention to anything yet.

Must of been a really good nap, Hongbin thought.

Good, he would need it.

“Dinner, hyung,” Hyuk was leaning over the back of the couch and started poking at Taekwoon’s stomach. “Have dinner with us.”

Taekwoon batted at his hands and tried to roll himself up and away from them.  Right into Hongbin, who slid into the open space on the couch and wrapped his arms around the still drowsy man.

“You’ve been so busy with musical, hyung,” He said with a sweet smile, letting his face get closer to Taekwoon’s. “We want to eat together.”

“Yeah,” Hyuk pressed in from the other side. “We want to have dinner with our boyfriend.”

Taekwoon flushed a little as the words finally registered in his brain and Hongbin was struck with the urge to bite one of his cheeks.

He settled for the cuter and perhaps more disarming option of giving it a peck.

Taekwoon gave a clumsy nod in agreement.

“Y-yeah,” He breathed out the agreement before his face pinched and he looked down at the phone in his hand. “Wait, no.

“No?”

“Yeah, not tonight,” Taekwoon avoided Hongbin’s gaze and slumpily shrugged. “I have plans.”

“What?”

Taekwoon shot his eyes towards Hyuk, “I made plans with Himchan…”

Hongbin frowned as he spoke, that wasn’t part of their plan, it definitely put a damper on their night together if they couldn’t be together.

Unless.

“Ask him if we can come, hyung.”

“What.”

“Yeah!” Hyuk agreed. “Ask if we can come out with you guys hyungie.”

He pushed further into Taekwoon’s space, ducking his head a little to look at him through his eye lashes.

Hongbin felt a swell of pride at the movement, then Taekwoon’s blush deepened and he felt a swell of desire.

“Please hyung, we miss you.”  He let his voice get a little breathy soft on the last words and felt the exact moment Taekwoon slumped in resignation.

“I’ll ask,” Hongbin and Hyuk shared triumphant grins even as he continued sharply. “Doesn’t mean he’ll agree, but I’ll ask.”

He pulled himself out of their grasp and they let him.

Hongbin sunk back into the couch and Sanghyuk climbed over the back to sit with him watch their hyung.

A minute or so later, Taekwoon let out a sigh and with a different sort of pinched face told them Himchan said it was fine and that he was going to bring Jongup with him.

Hongbin again wanted to bite the delicately pink apple of his cheek.

-

They reach the restaurant first, not quite a hole in the wall kind of place but obviously not high end or one that experiences a lot of traffic.  There was barely anyone in the main dining space, but as they were shown to one of the more private areas subtle sounds of talking and cheering could be heard from behind closed doors.

It take as long as their drinks being delivered for the others to arrive.

“Hello hello, one gorgeously beautiful Kim Himchan and one cute and pretty Moon Jongup at your service.” Himchan swaned into the room and winked at Taekwoon, who groaned and slouched into his seat, as Jongup sighed at his hyung’s dramatics.

“Do you have to do this every time?”  Taekwoon mumbled.

“Of course,” Himchan replied, his entirely serious tone undercut by the shit eating grin on his face. “I’ll never forget that night, and I won’t let you forget it either.”

“I hate you.”  

“Not what you said last time~”  Himchan sang out, pinching at Taekwoon’s cheek.

Taekwoon whined and pulled his head back and hid it behind Hyuk’s shoulder.

“Okay!” Jongup interrupted with all the grace and swiftness of someone who was used to dealing with Kim Himchan and has had to cut into his dramatics on the regular. “I’m starving, let’s order.”

The food comes fast enough and is good enough, it’s exceptional, and the conversation is good enough.  And Hongbin takes great pleasure in the happy puffed cheek look on Taekwoon’s face as he eats to his heart’s content.

He takes pleasure in the way he doesn’t have to hide that he takes pleasure in it.

It’s nice being out with people in the know.

Someone who is willing and takes great delight in laughing at how embarrassed Taekwoon gets is usually a great find for the members of Vixx, but Kim Himchan causes Hongbin and Sanghyuk some feeling of reservation.

There’s something about him that makes them not quite as open and genuinely welcoming as they usually would be.

Taekwoon had noticed but not really noticed.

He’d sent them each stray looks through out the night and he’d huff in disappointment when they didn’t land the kind of tell all hit he was hoping for, and then someone would poke fun at his puffed out cheeks and the group would be roaring into a whole new session of Make Fun of Jung Taekwoon.

One of Vixx’s favorite games.

But something in the easy camaraderie of Taekwoon and Himchan is too reminiscent of their own teasing cat and mouse game with him that it sets them a little on edge.

But before anything can come of what tension they carry some joke is made, or comment on a person not there, and they are all talking and laughing with each other again.

At some point Hyuk bumps Taekwoon’s shoulder and a spoon full of broth drips down his shirt.

Immediately the four of them start laughing and Taekwoon tries to hold a stern face that just gives way to a big pout as he stands up and a noodle is revealed to of been hiding in a shirt wrinkle.

“Back in a minute.”  He waves Hongbin and Hyuk back into their seats when they get up to help and takes off.

His face was funny enough to set them to laughing again as soon as he leaves and is only broken when Jongup pulls out a loudly vibrating phone.

“Ah, I need to take this call.” Jongup gives them all an apologetic look and quickly makes his way out of the room letting the door shut softly behind him.

With his departure the conversation trails off until no one is speaking and the air grows awkward even as Hyuk and Hongbin lean into the space left by Taekwoon, perhaps unknowingly on their part but a deliberate stance when they turn toward each other, nearly shutting the other person in the room out of their bubble.

“You know,” Himchan broke the silence between the three of them. “It really is funny that you went after Woonie first Hyukkie.”

Hyuk felt himself bristle a little at the use of nicknames and the tilt of tease that came with them.

“Though, I will say,” His smile turned a little more mischievous and he puts down his phone. “You certainly do have more restraint than our maknae.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh just that the day after Junhong turned twenty he hunted down Guk and confessed,” He leaned in as though telling them a secret. “Pretty sure he had his way with him right there in the studio.  Yongguk was covered in hickies that afternoon. Maybe you’d get along better with him than me.”

He gives a laugh and they fall into silence again.

His side of the table nowhere near as tense as theirs while he scrolls through something on his phone.

“What exactly are you to our Taekwoon?”  Sanghyuk asked.

“Oooo, your Taekwoon,” Himchan wiggled his eyebrows. “So possessive.  You guys have been dating a few months already shouldn’t you feel more secure in your relationship?”

“We haven’t exactly been able to spend much of that time with him now have we?”

“Besides, we’ve loved him for years.”  Hyuk said it like the simple fact it was.

“He’s been ours for years,” Hongbin added, looking at Himchan with serious eyes and a sharp smile. “So please do, answer our question, hyung.”

Himchan grinned at them and leaned his chin on a fist.

“Well, we are friends.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Certainly not anything more now that your group has stepped up and gotten your hands on his heart,” He looked past them and his grin went cheshire wide. “We’ve had  _ fun _ a few times but that’s nothing you all have to worry about anymore.”

Hongbin glanced behind him and saw Jongup holding the door for Taekwoon as the older emphatically shook his head, he nudged Sanghyuk to keep him from trying to question Himchan any further and all three of them watched them enter the room.

They kept speaking as they come closer and gesturing between each other, not noticing the silence before them.

Both had an earnest look on their faces and Hongbin feels a little bit of his heart melt at the way Taekwoon let’s himself laugh full out at some joke or whatever it was that Jongup was saying to him.

“Taekwoon-hyung and I have decided to form a new duet,” Jongup declared as they both sat down. “TS and Jellyfish will receive our resignations in the morning.”

“Ah!” Himchan said latching onto the statement and making it a scene. “So this was your real motivation for coming with me.  To seal the deal with Woonie!”

“Hyung, you dragged me here,” Jongup deadpanned. “You took the bowl of cereal out of my hands, poured it down the drain, and shoved a hoodie at me.  It’s not even my hoodie.”

“Not even his hoodie.”  Taekwoon giggled out, as Himchan gasped in mock disbelief as he put a hand to his chest.

“Are you implying I made you come and I made you wear someone else’s clothing?”

“No, I’m saying it.”

Another gasp Himchan, and more giggling from Taekwoon as he leant forward to look at Jongup earnestly.

“Do you want to be the leader?  It’s too much work for me.”

“Do you mean it, hyung?”

“Of course,” He pats a hand over Jongup’s. “You’ll do great.”

“Hyung,” Sanghyuk says lightly as he gently tugs Taekwoon back into the space between him and Hongbin with an absolute casual arm across his shoulder. “You can’t break contract.”

“Right,” He looks at the cheerfully intense face that Hyuk smiles with and lets out a hum.

“Guess it will just have to be a collab.”  Jongup shrugs.

What ensues is a conversation that stays nearly centered on the topic of who they would all want to do collaborations with and upcoming releases they were looking forward to.

Throughout it all, Hongbin made sure to deliberately angle himself towards Taekwoon more than before and Hyuk easily mirrored his action.

Himchan, knowing exactly what was happening just drank happily and smiled at them anytime their gazes met.

Jongup, who didn’t really know what was going on but was just pleased to be in their company, smiled at them regardless.

When they leave Himchan shoots Hyuk and Hongbin a smirk as he pulls Taekwoon into a hug and pets his hair.

“You’re welcome, Woonie~”  He sings as he lets him go.

Jongup pulls Himchan away and mouths a dully embarrassed ‘sorry hyung’ at Taekwoon.

“Come along cute and pretty Jonguppie!”  Himchan shouts, as though he isn’t the one being supported.  Jongup and Taekwoon both turn pink.

Hongbin and Sanghyuk look at each other behind Taekwoon’s back and decided that that is quite enough of that.

-

In the time it takes Hyuk to finish the task of locking the dorm after they get back and join them, Hongbin already has Taekwoon and himself out of their shirts and was kneeling over his lap pressing soft kisses to his neck.

“Hakyeon-hyung said we definitely don’t have anything for the next week.”

Hongbin grinned into Taekwoon’s skin at the maknae’s words and practically purred out a ‘perfect’ before biting into the junction of his neck and shoulder.

Taekwoon let out a yelp and jumped but Hongbin held steady and worried at the skin with his teeth.  Taekwoon’s hands clutched at his sides and he pulled off with a loud wet pop that nearly echoed. 

The place where he’d bitten already showing a darkness under the red imprint of his teeth that made a satisfied hum bubble up in his throat.  

Hongbin blew over the wet skin and Taekwoon shivered in his arms.

Hongbin was already having the time of his life.

“Hon- Hong- bin-”

“It’s okay, hyung.  Didn’t you hear? Nothing public for a while,”  Hongbin’s eyes zeroed in on the dip of his collar bone. “We can do whatever we want.”

He gave the area a quick nip that turned whatever Taekwoon may have been about to say into a gasp and latched his mouth to the skin.

This time repeatedly scraping his teeth against it as he pressed fingers into the waistband of Taekwoon’s pants.

The memory of Wonshik coming to the dorms mid-afternoon with a dazed but satisfied look on his face those months ago, that had required very little effort to share exactly what had happened in his studio, flashed through Hongbin’s mind and he let his front teeth make a long steady drag down Taekwoon’s chest.  He let his nails press into skin and smirked at the way he jumped when he gave a kittenish lick to a nipple before sucking another bruise into the space below it.

Taekwoon let out a long whine that suddenly cut off.

Looking up Hongbin saw that Sanghyuk had finally made his way to them and was tilting Taekwoon’s head up to kiss him.  One hand on the back of his neck and the other on the shoulder Hongbin hadn’t concerned himself with yet.

He snuck a hand up and into Taekwoon’s hair and used a handful of it to slowly pull his head back.

Used it to pull another high noise from the vocalist’s throat and with a groan Sanghyuk followed the sound to seal their lips together again.

Hongbin smiled at the pretty picture they made.

Though, Taekwoon with all that pink spilling down his taunt neck was a pretty tempting picture all on it’s own.

Nearly knocking heads with Hyuk, Hongbin bit into the inviting flesh and relished the way it vibrated in his mouth, as Hyuk muffled the noise that would of accompanied it with his mouth, and his hands worked at unbuttoning Taekwoon’s pants, pulling them down to reveal centimeter by centimeter of pale unblemished skin.

Hongbin moved his mouth down to Taekwoon’s stomach and let his fingers slide across smooth thighs and knees bent just so.  Occasionally dragging his nails to make little white lines appear and fade to red before smoothing out.

Taekwoon’s thighs quivered in his hands and when he looked up minutes later, Sanghyuk had a hand under his chin keeping his neck up and their mouths locked together.

He smirked and tapped at Hyuk’s shoulder.

“Switch?”

It took a few moments and then Hyuk looked down to Hongbin’s other hand, wrapped around thick flesh, and he could see the hunger in his eyes.

In a fast maneuver they traded places.

Hongbin sliding behind Taekwoon, hands petting down his sides and settling on his waist.

Hyuk pulling his shirt over his head and settling between Taekwoon’s legs.

“How do you want to do this.”  Sanghyuk looked at him.

Hongbin pretended to think about about it, tapping his fingers to the skin beneath them, feeling the way it twitched as he spoke.

“I wouldn’t have suggested the switch if I wasn’t going to let you go first, Hyukkie,”  His nails scrapped against the crease of thigh and groin and Taekwoon gasped. Hongbin grinned at the dazy look in Taekwoon’s eyes. “Would you like that, hyung?  Hyukkie opening you up while I eat you up.”

It wasn’t really a question at this point but Hongbin still delighted in the way Taekwoon nodded shyly and muscles shifted under his skin.  Tensing and releasing in anticipation.

“Well there you go, Hyuk.  Hyung agrees.” They shared a smile over Taekwoon’s body and Hongbin leaned forward to give Hyuk a peck. “Have fun.”

He settled back behind Taekwoon and whispered to him, “I certainly am.”

-

Sanghyuk looked at Taekwoon from his new angle.

There was a clear trail of bites and bruises from Hongbin making his way down the vocalist’s chest and Hyuk pressed a few kisses to the spots.

Dotting and fast, a contrast to the actions that had left them there, and soon he was met with dark fabric and thick thighs.  He ran his fingers over the light pink lines Hongbin had left and looked up to the meet his eyes, dark and deep and watching.

Hongbin had slid further behind their hyung and seemed serene as he mouthed at Taekwoon’s neck.

Taekwoon was-

Gods, Taekwoon was beautiful between them.

Nearly bare and laid out.

Half his front sporting the red and purple marks of Hongbin’s desire.

A flush high and bright on his cheeks and shaky breaths coming out of red, near swollen, lips that were the work of Hyuk kissing at them and pulling at his lips on occasion as they broke apart.

Hair an absolute mess from both their hands in it, and Taekwoon was well on his way to looking wrecked and Sanghyuk loved it.

Loved that it was him, him and Hongbin, that had done this to Taekwoon.

The supposedly cool and unflapple hyung who was really so sensitive and whiny, had given himself to them to do with as they wished.

And they had been wishing an awful lot lately.

Carefully Hyuk placed a hand over the bulge of Taekwoon’s underwear, a little pressure and a small push of his hand and there it was.

The most beautiful moan coming out of Taekwoon’s mouth like it was being pulled out.

Ragged and high and his back arched like Hyuk had only seen it during performances and it was so much better than watching happen on a stage, because this was private and for him.

Because of him.

Taekwoon pushed his hips into Hyuk’s hand and his shoulders back into Hongbin.

Fucking gorgeous.

“Hyungie~” Hyuk smiled at the effort it took him to make eye contact before he continued in the sweet voice that got him exactly what he wanted. “You want it, right, hyungie.”

He let his hand grind down, forcing the words out of Taekwoon.

“Yes, yes.”  

It was a stuttered gasp of a word that made Hyuk grin.

He pressed down again with the heel of his hand.

“Say it louder, Woonie-hyungie,” He said in the same sweet voice. “We need to be sure you really want it.”

His eyes stayed on Taekwoon’s face

“Yes, please, yes.”  Higher and louder and like it was the only words he knew and it left an immensely satisfying taste in Hyuk’s mouth as he complete the work of undressing Taekwoon revealing the last bits of skin that had been hidden for years.

Sanghyuk brushed a dry knuckle down and around Taekwoon’s rim, delighting in the hitch of his breath and the way it so lightly clentched at his touch.

He pressed the bridge of his finger to it and felt the older man shift impatiently.

A bottle of lube landed near Taekwoon’s legs and Hyuk looked up to meet Hongbin’s glittering eyes as he smirked around a mouth full of Taekwoon’s shoulder.

Taekwoon wasn’t the only impatient one.

Hyuk shifted his legs and pushed Taekwoon’s up, put a knee under the top of one of his thighs and his legs spread out further for him.

He pressed a palm to the other thigh and pushed it further out just because he could, because Taekwoon would let him.

Was letting him.

Was letting them do this with him, to him, and was enjoying it.

Very much if the hissed out ‘yes’ that accompanied Hyuk’s slick finger sliding past the circle of muscle was anything to go by.

Slowly he let it go in in in then out and in.

And he wanted to take it slow, to drag this out and make Taekwoon beg for it every second of the way, but there was something about how easy this was that struck him.

“Ah, hyung, that went in so easy,” He grinned up at his hyungs.  Casualness coloring his voice even as he moved his finger in and out, in and out. “Almost too easy.”

“Oooo, have you been playing without us hyung?”

Hyuk watched Hongbin greedily eye the fresh dark color that rolled down Taekwoon’s neck at his question and slipped a second finger in with the other before their hyung could speak.

Taekwoon let out a groan and pressed a hand to his face, the best he could hide in the situation.

“Hyungie,” Sanghyuk called out, twisting and spreading his fingers. “Aren’t you going to answer us?”

Taekwoon peaked through his finger to glare down at him with all the fury of kitten caught in a tangle of yarn and Hyuk just let his smile brighten at the endearing sight.

Hongbin pulled the hand from his face and brushed a thumb over the hallow of wrist into his palm, forcing it open and what a good trick, before speaking.

“Did you use your pretty fingers to play with yourself hyung?”  He asked in a low tone and pressed his cheek to the open hand before him.

His words set a reverberation through Taekwoon that Hyuk felt around him, nearly felt it in himself from the way he said it because didn’t that set off quite a few lovely thoughts of Taekwoon opening himself up for them, it turned to a gasp as Hyuk added a third finger.

It was a tight fit now, but he diligently spread them and kept them moving.

Pushing and pressing and-

Suddenly Taekwoon let out a keen higher than any they’d gotten before and Hyuk immediately pressed all three fingers back to the place they had been.

Taekwoon let out little ‘oh’s of air as he circled the spot.

“Did they feel as good as Hyukkie’s?” Hongbin asked, an intense voice that Hyuk had nearly forgotten about so focused on the body before him, bringing them back to their discovery. “Come on hyung, it’s rude not to answer.  Did your fingers feel as good as Hyuk?”

Hyuk pressed hard and ground down.

Taekwoon shook his head and finally gasped out a quiet breathless “ _ NO!” _ to them.

Hyuk eased up at his declaration.

It was one thing to know from his reactions, but to hear it?

Fucking incredible.

“Ready.” Taekwoon demanded soon enough, sounding for all the world like he was running the show.

“Okay let me ge-”

“Don’t need to.”

“Ah, are you sure-”

“Han Sanghyuk, unless you want to use a condom then I don’t care,” Taekwoon rushed out. “Get in me.”

“Whatever you say, hyungie.”

Sanghyuk slid an arm under his waist and lifted as Hongbin, arms wrapped loose but securely around his chest, leaned back taking their vocalist with him and finally finally Hyuk slid into Taekwoon.

It was smooth and warm and far too much. 

Far too good.

Often times when you waited for something for so long, the hype of it could overshadow the reality.

But this, this sinking into Taekwoon.

This being pulled into heat and warmth and tiny groans, tiny moans, was better than he could of imagined.

Hyuk hiked Taekwoon’s hips up even further and rose to his knees to push into him.

The move earned him a strangled aborted noise and Hyuk knew he wanted more.

Craved it like a drowning man craved air, craved it as water pushed into his lungs a poor substitute for oxygen.

But unlike the drowning man, Hyuk could have Taekwoon.

Could have his noises and his body and his love.

And they wouldn’t be rejected by his body.

They wouldn’t kill him.

They would drive him forward.

Build a pressure inside of him, egged on by high hitches and sweet moans and an all to responsive body that let itself be moved how he desired, to the point where he felt overflowing.

Where he felt like bubbling over.

Hyuk felt it building and building in him, and he reached forward to take Taekwoon in his hand and it was the quick work of a few slides before Taekwoon’s chest was painted in white.  And Sanghyuk kept his hand moving the whole way till pathetic whimpers were leaving his lips and Taekwoon tried batting at his hands.

The twitching of his hips sending Sanghyuk over the edge himself.

-

Once Hyuk recovered enough to get a cloth and some water, Hongbin coaxed Taekwoon onto his stomach.

Pet gentle hands down his sides and along his back, studying the pale expanse he hadn’t been able to mark up yet.

Tiny little freckle moles dotted the skin.

He lazily skimmed a fingernail over each one he could see.

Hongbin dipped his head to drop a few kisses to the back of Taekwoon’s neck.

Feather quick, peppering them around the hickies he’d already left on his hyung.

Idly he pressed  finger across Taekwoon’s hole and felt the way his whole body shivered under him.

“Ah, hyung and Hyukkie were so pretty to watch,” Hongbin spoke into his ear, letting a finger slip into him. “You were so good for our maknae, Woonie.”

Taekwoon let out a gasp and tensed, possibly from another instance of Hongbin dropping the honorific and possibly from the second finger he easily slid in with the first.

He pumped his fingers languidly, Lee Hongbin had all the time in the world and not even the sound of an opening and closing door was enough to bolster him to move faster, and kept kissing at Taekwoon’s back.

Soft and light and not at all hurried, he kept his other hand busy with the gentling motions down Taekwoon’s side and turned his face just enough to see the figure standing near his desk, breathing his next words across the dip of a shoulder blade while maintaining eye contact with Hyuk.

“So good for him hyung, think you can be that good for me?  Do you want to be good for me  **hyungie** ?”  He punctuated the last word with a teasing tone and a scrape of his nails along Taekwoon’s waist.

Taekwoon whined and pushed back into Hongbin’s body.

“Come on hyung,” He turned his attention back to Taekwoon and levied himself up to hover just above him. “Use your words.”

Hongbin pressed in a third finger and spread them while setting a slow deliberate pace.

“Yes!”

It sounded like it was punched out of Taekwoon’s chest.

His thighs flexed under Hongbin’s watch and he grinned pulling his fingers out quickly to the sound of a whine.

There was a woosh and the familiar squeak of Hongbin’s desk chair in the corner to let him know that Hyuk had probably plopped himself down to watch the show.

He settled himself over the quivering body and leant into his ear, “I know you’re going to be so good for me, hyung.”

And pushed in with one long easy thrust.

“Hongbin.”  It was a breathy release of his name and it was music to his ears.

Hongbin didn’t build up his speed so much as he set a pace and Taekwoon had to deal with it as he pulled him up by the hips till he was on his hands and knees before him.

Hongbin kept up the steady strokes into him the whole way.

It was slick and easy and Taekwoon was letting out cries with each movement.

Delicate little things that hugged the border of shrill but balanced themselves into attractively desperate by the almost hiccup quality to them that let Hongbin know they were more from being overwhelmed than anything else.

They kept coming and coming and it was only encouraging for Hongbin to know that he was driving them out of Taekwoon.

And suddenly Taekwoon’s arms gave and he felt to his chest with a sharp cry and Hongbin knew.

So he repeated aimed for the same place.

Hongbin could find his release just as he was, but Taekwoon deserved to be pleasured.

Deserved to be fucked so good it hurt.

This was just as much for Taekwoon as it was for him, Hongbin told him so.

Plastering himself over the vocalist, hips snapping forward as best they could even as Taekwoon’s knees slid out and soon he was nearly flat on the mattress being driven into.

Pliant and accepting.

Covered in marks and waiting for more.

And it was everything Hongbin could of ever wanted.

Taekwoon underneath him.

Taekwoon taking him.

Taekwoon coming apart for him.

And Taekwoon was coming.

He was tightening and his hips were jerking with an energy Hongbin had thought had gone out of him even as Hongbin kept thrust, kept going because the coil in him was winding winding winding with each second.

And then there were those little whines that had sounded out when Hyuk had stroked Taekwoon through his orgasm and past it into an over sensitive mess.

And something in Hongbin snapped.

-

“Hyungie, hyungie.” Hyuk called out to the man in the center of the bed as he climbed into it after throwing a dirty sheet and rag into the laundry.

Taekwoon whined and buried his face into a pillow.

“Aww, aren’t you going to answer him hyung?”  Hongbin asked through a grin.

Taekwoon shook his head and placed an arm around Hyuk’s waist as soon as he was under the covers.

“Sleep.”  He muttered and wiggled down into the bedding.

They both looked down at him fondly.

“Hyuk?”

“Yes hyung?”  Hyuk looked towards Hongbin.

“Did you put on socks?”

“My feet get cold in the night!”

“You put on socks after you fucked Taekwoon.” 

“Feet! Cold! Wait,” Hyuk squinted at Hongbin. “How did you know I put on socks?”

“You’re playing footsie with my knees.”

“I’m going to my own bed.”  Taekwoon tried to sit up and climb over Hyuk, but was stopped by Hongbin pulling him back.

“This is all part of the afterglow, Woonie,” He pressed an open kiss to the underside of his jaw. “Enjoy it.”

-

The next morning, Hongbin had the supreme pleasure of seeing Taekwoon shuffle into the kitchen and everyone but Sanghyuk, who just smirked at him as he surveyed the room, freeze at the sight of hickies peaking their way out of the hems of his clothing and sitting high and proud along the curve of his neck.

A direct mirror of the morning so long ago that he’d walked in on them all having breakfast with a different set of bruises.

This time though, Hongbin got to take pride of being the owner of the teeth that made those marks and he made it very clearly known when Hakyeon started sputtering at a drowsy Taekwoon.

“It was all me, hyung,”  Hongbin confirmed happily, sliding a piece of toast towards Taekwoon’s mouth.  His hyung took a bite. “Well Hyuk did contribute some, but mostly me.”

Hyuk wrapped his arms around Taekwoon in a back hug and hooked his chin over his shoulder as Hongbin continued, “I just couldn’t keep my mouth off him, hyung just tastes too good.”  

Taekwoon broke into a fiery blush and Hongbin wanted to just take another bite out of him.

So he leaned forward and nipped at the ear closest to him.

**Author's Note:**

> if you see any errors let me know and i'll do my best to fix them, i don't have a beta reader so i mostly just reread my stuff after a day or two and go oh shoot that's not right and scrabble to fix it or i let it live on in bad writing for the rest of existence  
> come yell at me on tumblr if you want: meetmeinthepit-fightme  
> seriously come talk to me, be my friend, i'll most likely end up writing you fic


End file.
